Takato Castle
I visited Takato when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. These are some of the best cherry blossoms I've ever seen. I highly recommend going if you have the chance. It's just difficult to take pictures without too many people. The castle itself has retained much of it's original shape with seve
History
It's not known when the original Takato Castle was actually built, but there was originally a fortification here controlled by the Takato clan for the Suwa. When Takeda Shingen attacked the Takato clan in 1545, he took over the castle and rebuilt it into a typical modern castle for the period. The castle was later taken over by Oda Nobunaga who fortified it with large dry moats around each of the kuruwa you see today.
From the fall of the Shingen until the early Edo Period when the Naito became lords of the castle there was a succession of several castle lords. The Naito family ruled until the Meiji Restoration when the castle was decommissioned. The cherry blossoms you see at the park were planted in the Meiji Period
Field Notes
I visited Takato when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. These are some of the best cherry blossoms I've ever seen. I highly recommend going if you have the chance. It's just difficult to take pictures without too many people. The castle itself has retained much of it's original shape with several baileys and well preserved moats. Don't miss the Shintokukan school building just outside the castle.
Gallery
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Takato Castle |
| Japanese Name | 高遠城 |
| Alternate Names | Kabuto-jo |
| Founder | Takeda Shingen |
| Year Founded | 1547 |
| Castle Type | Hilltop |
| Castle Condition | No main keep but other buildings |
| Designations | Top 100 Castles, National Historic Site |
| Historical Period | Edo Period |
| Features | gates, turrets, bridges, samurai homes, trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Ina City Sta. (Ida Line), 25 min bus, 15 min walk |
| Hours | |
| Time Required | |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Ina, Nagano Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 35.83341, 138.06228 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2009 |
| Contributor | Eric |
| Admin Year Visited | 1992, 2009 |
| Admin Visits | August 1992, April 11, 2009 |
Nearby Samurai Homes
