On August 23, we went on a training trip to see the projection mapping at Maruoka Castle. This time, it was led by the secretary general. Everyone met up at 6:30 p.m. for dinner at an Italian restaurant called Lino near the castle.
Maruoka Castle: https://maruoka-castle.jp/en/
Maruoka Castle Projection Mapping Night Hikari Musubi: https://www.city.fukui-sakai.lg.jp/chiiki-maru/kanko-bunka/kanko/joho/pm.html
The path leading up to the castle tower was beautifully lit by 120 lanterns, each decorated with Ippitsu Keijo (calligraphy-style art pieces).
As I was walking up the path, reading the messages on each lantern, one of them really caught my eye. I thought, “This kid must still be so pure.” I even felt like replying, “Both your dad are telling the truth. Adults—including myself—live in the gap between ideals and reality, full of contradictions. I couldn’t help but smile.
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Maruoka Domain, and the projection mapping beautifully expressed the passage of time since the castle was built through light and sound. There are two shows, one starting at 8:00 p.m. and another at 9:00 p.m.
We went to see the 8:00 p.m. show.
The whole show lasted about 15 minutes. The 8:00 p.m. program we saw started with around 10 minutes of history, covering the 400 years since the Maruoka Domain was founded—the changes of the castle lords, the collapse of the castle during the postwar Fukui earthquake, and its miraculous reconstruction up to the present day.
The last 5 minutes shifted to something more mythical. The projection was inspired by two local legends. One is the “Oshizu Hitobashira,” a tragic tale of a woman sacrificed and buried in the castle wall to ensure its stability. The other is the “Kumo-no-I Ryujin,” the story of a Dragon God believed to dwell in the castle’s famous well.
Maruoka Castle was lit up with cherry blossoms. In spring, about 400 cherry trees bloom in full glory around the castle keep, and the site is even listed as one of the “100 Best Cherry Blossom Spots in Japan.” Thanks to the projection mapping, we also got to see Maruoka Castle covered in a stunning full bloom of cherry blossoms.
A cold, drizzling rain fell, reminding me of Oshizu’s bitter tears. Maybe her cries could be heard on quiet nights. I heard that it often rains during Maruoka’s spring and autumn festivals, and the locals like to think it’s Oshizu’s doing…
There’s a legendary well that’s said to have saved the castle from danger many times—the Kumo-no-I Ryujin legend. I wondered, if a dragon (or giant serpent) really lived in there, would drawing water be life-threatening? Or maybe it’s more like a guardian watching over the castle?
Be careful at night, since the ground can be uneven. There were also some mosquitoes flying around, so insect repellent might come in handy.
We’d never visited the castle at night before, and the whole experience felt really magical—walking around in the quiet, dimly lit castle, with legends and history all around.
Thank you very much to our secretariat, who was in charge of this training session.
