Added Moriya Castle Takai Castle and Hanawa Castle

As you may have seen in my Ushiku Castle update I took a cycling trip around Ushiku visiting castles. A part of this was to go down around to Takai Castle and Moriya Castle too. Unfortunately, I got a flat tire as I neared Takai Castle and called it a day at that point. I recently

Added Moriya Castle, Takai Castle and Hanawa Castle

2017/09/30

As you may have seen in my Ushiku Castle update I took a cycling trip around Ushiku visiting castles. A part of this was to go down around to Takai Castle and Moriya Castle too. Unfortunately, I got a flat tire as I neared Takai Castle and called it a day at that point. I recently revisted the area to complete the original plan to visit Moriya Castle. I also stopped at Hanawa Castle on the way home since it was very close.

I'm now caught up with adding all the new castles I've visited this year. It may be awhile however before I update the profiles for Osaka Castle and Nijo Castle from my recent re-visits.

Hanawa Castle / 花輪城

Very little to see here, even the remains are a bit of a stretch for the imagination but it's nice that it has been preserved as a park. It was a quick bus ride from Nagareyama Otakanomori Sta. on the way home from Moriya Castle. Be careful, there are few busses on weekends. I ended up walking back afterwards because the next bus was too long to wait.

Moriya Castle / 守谷城

This is a short walk from Moriya Sta and worth a visit if you are in the area. You could also visit nearby Takai Castle. I had actually planned to visit this as an extension of my Ushiku Castle cycling trip but got a flat tire on the way to Takai Castle and had to visit it another time. The castle itself was originally built on a small peninsula into the swamp giving it much natural protection. See this site for a good illustration. Much of the swamp has since been filled in and developed over.

Takai Castle / 高井城

There are more ruins than you may expect to see from these photos or descriptions. It is well worth visit if you are nearby especially if you combine it with a stop at Moriya Castle.