Ruins of Takeda Castle, Castle in the Sky

Takeda Castle is a Japanese mountain castle that once existed in Takeda, Wadayama-cho, Asago City, Hyogo Prefecture.

From the ruins of the castle, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the sea of clouds. It is also known as “Torafusujo” (lying-in-the-tiger castle) because of the way the castle’s layout looks like a lying-in-the-tiger. Takeda Castle is designated as a national historic site, and because it is located atop a high mountain far from the castle, it is also called the “castle in the sky” or “Machu Picchu in Japan. The imposing stone walls of the old castle floating in a sea of clouds is a well-known local specialty.

Takeda Castle was built on the summit of the 353.7-meter-high Mount Kojo (Mt. Toragase), and its terrain measures approximately 400 m from north to south and 100 m from east to west. The castle tower is located almost in the center of the castle, and the Honmaru, Ninomaru, Sanomaru, and Minaminaminaminomaru are arranged in a continuous walled formation. In addition, there are twin wings, the northern and southern chiten sections, and a single enclosure called Hanayashiki in the northwestern part of the castle tower. Although it has been about 400 years since Takeda Castle was abandoned, the stone walls remain largely intact, making it one of the largest surviving mountain castles in Japan.

Located on a 353.7-meter-high mountaintop, the ruins of Takeda Castle are designated as a National Important Cultural Property (historic site). The castle began as a foundation built in the Kayoshi era by Yamana Munezono, a feudal lord who was the guardian of the Tajima region, and later fell during Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s conquest of Tajima at the order of Oda Nobunaga. Later, the last lord of the castle, Hirohide Akamatsu, built magnificent stone walls, and the castle is now one of the “100 Great Castles of Japan.

The ruins of Takeda Castle are located on the west side of Takeda Station, at the summit of the 353-meter-high Mt. Takeda Castle is said to have been built by Yamana Sozen in 1443 (Kayoshi 3), and later became the magnificent stone-walled castle we see today during the Tensho Period and the early Keicho Period (about 1600). The ruins of this castle are considered to be one of the best mountain castle ruins in Japan, and even today, the stone walls measuring approximately 100 meters from east to west and 400 meters from north to south still remain, conveying the majesty of the old days.

History

Muromachi Period

Details regarding the construction of Takeda Castle are not clear. According to the “Diary of Wada Uemichi” established in the late Edo period (1603-1867), a castle called “Yasuino Castle” was built in Takeda, the gateway between Tamba Province and Harima, during the Kayoshi period (1441-1443). This “Yasuino Castle” refers to Takeda Castle itself. However, the “Diary of Wada Uemichi” is a compilation of old traditions, and there are no other historical documents related to the construction of Takeda Castle. According to the “Historic Site, Takeda Castle,” “Only an oral inscription of the tradition that the castle was built by Yamana Mochitoyo in Kakichi 3 and that OTAGAKI Sight was appointed as the first lord remains. In other words, it introduces the tradition that the castle was built in 1443 by Yamana Mochitoyo (Mochitoyo), a Tajima governor, and that Ootagaki Sight was the first lord of the castle.

During this period, there were often military conflicts between the Yamana clan, the Tajima governor, and the Akamatsu clan, the Harima governor. In June 1441, Ashikaga Yoshinori, the sixth shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate, was assassinated by Akamatsu Mitsusuke, the governor of Harima, Bizen, and Mimasaka, and Munezono volunteered to join the Shogunate’s army in pursuit (Kakichi no ran). In August, Munezaki received an order from the Shogunate to pursue the Akamatsu clan and mobilized his family to attack Harima from three directions.

Later, Akamatsu Norimasa in 1443, Akamatsu Mitsumasa in 1444, and Akamatsu Noritaka in 1455 rebelled against the Yamana forces, but all were defeated and either turned themselves in or fled. Takeda Castle at that time was a strategic point protecting the border between Harima and Tajima, and also served as a base for launching expeditions to pacify Harima.

Warring States Period

In 1467, a dispute between Katsumoto Hosokawa and Munezono Yamana led to the Onin War, and Tajima became the scene of a war between the Hosokawa and Yamana clans. In March of the following year, 1468, when the Hosokawa army of Naito tried to invade Tajima from Yakuno, the Ootagaki army at Takeda Castle marched out and a battle took place in Yakuno. Although small in number, Otagaki’s army fought bravely and defeated two generals of Naito’s army. Even today, a memorial monument called “Naito Mound” still remains on the Yakuno Plateau.

After the Onin War ended, Yamana Masatoyo and Akamatsu Masanori, grandsons of Soten, continued to fight over Harima and other areas. For a time, Yamana’s forces occupied Harima, but were defeated around Chokyo 2 (1488), and Masatoyo’s authority declined, leading to internal conflicts. In 1522, Masatoyo’s son, Yamana Masatoyo, attacked Harima, but at that time, the Otagaki clan did not respond to his request to go into battle, and the Akamatsu clan regrouped and successfully expelled the Yamana army.

Azuchi-Momoyama Period

There was a conflict between the Amago clan and the Mori clan. The Amago clan was once destroyed by the Mori clan, but later, the remnants of the Amago clan rose up to retake Izumo, and Yamana Yutoyo supported them. Motonari Mori sought help from Nobunaga Oda to threaten Yamana Yutoyo’s position, and Nobunaga dispatched an army led by Hideyoshi.

In the first year of Tensho, Mori’s army marched on Tajima. Terunobu Ootagaki surrendered to the Mori forces, and Yutoyo Yamana sent a letter of oath to Motoharu Yoshikawa to make peace. However, when Naomasa Ogino, known as the Red Devil, took Takeda Castle, Yamana asked Nobunaga to rescue him, and Akechi Mitsuhide was dispatched to battle. Takeda Castle fell in this battle.

Later, when relations between Nobunaga and the Mori deteriorated, Nobunaga dispatched Hideyoshi Hashiba. Hideyoshi marched to Harima and captured Takeda Castle. In the battle of Takeda Castle, Hideyoshi’s army and Terunobu Otagaki’s army fought, but the details of the battle are unknown.

Later, Hidenaga became the castle’s lord of Takeda Castle, and the rule of Yamana Yutoyo and Ootagaki Terunobu came to an end. Takeda Castle was completed and Shigeharu Kuwayama and Masahiro Saimura became its lords. This marked the end of rule by the Yamana and Ootagaki clans.

In the Battle of Sekigahara, Masahiro Saimura, the last lord of Takeda Castle, served in the Western Army. He attacked Tanabe Castle (Maizuru Castle), but the Western Army was defeated. Later, Masahiro was invited by Kamei Korenori of the Eastern Army to participate in the attack on Tottori Castle, and he defeated the castle. However, he was held responsible for a large fire that broke out in the castle and committed seppuku at Shinkyoji Temple in Tottori on October 28, Keicho 5 (December 3, 1600), by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Takeda Castle was the residence of Masahiro, but Yamana Toyokuni took over the castle by order of Ieyasu. However, Takeda Castle was abandoned due to the policy of the Edo shogunate.

Despite its steep terrain, Takeda Castle is surrounded by stone walls. It was the last of the early modern castles to be built on a mountaintop. According to the presumption based on the castle’s layout and other information, Takeda Castle is thought to have been built in the early modern period. Yamana Soten ordered the castle to be built, Hashiba Hidenaga laid out the rope, and then Akamatsu Hirohide, with the support of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, completed it into a magnificent castle.

Takeda Castle has a large stone wall structure similar to that of Azuchi Castle, with a Masugata at the tiger’s entrance. The Honmaru is located at the highest point of the ridge, with the castle tower in front of it. From the main circle, a series of large wickets extend, including the North Senjimato-gurin, South Senjimato-gurin, and Hanayashiki-gurin. The total area is 18,473 square meters. The stone walls were built using the Anata-ryu masonry technique, and are typical of the remains of mountain castles of the Toyotomi period. Takeda Castle is said to have been built by Hirohide Akamatsu in his late 30s, when he was in the prime of his career.

One of the unique features of Takeda Castle is that three groups of wickets, the North Senjo Curve, the South Senjo Curve, and the Hanayashiki Curve, are located at almost the same elevation of 331 meters. Since the elevation of the main citadel is 351 meters, the difference in elevation is 20 meters. This indicates that not only the planar configuration but also the elevational configuration was calculated and the three wings were systematically arranged. The number of turrets including the keep is estimated to be about 20.

The structure of the keep and other details are not known. The tower is slightly irregular in shape, and the remains of several foundation stones have been found. It is suggested that it was built with 6 shaku 5 sun, the length of a kyoma, between the pillars. It is thought that the tower was either attached to the tower next to the keep or connected to the main citadel and climbed by stairs or other means from the interior. The keep is located in the center of the castle, and it is thought that the keep was built in front of the castle at the foot of the mountain, serving as a symbol of authority. It is also estimated that the Honmaru Goten was located in the Takamiden Circle (Honmaru) below the keep.

The stone walls of Takeda Castle total 8,649 square meters. Overall, the Anatazumi technique is used, but there are different sections in each direction. This may indicate that each direction was divided into sections by chieftains, who managed their respective areas. The masonry of Takeda Castle is very similar to the technique used at Azuchi Castle.

The sight of Takeda Castle floating in a sea of clouds can be seen especially between before sunrise in the morning and around 8:00 AM. This phenomenon tends to occur mainly in autumn and winter, especially between September and November. In addition to viewing it from the ruins of Takeda Castle, the ruins of the castle can also be seen floating in a sea of clouds from Rikunkyo, located southeast of the castle, and Towa Pass to the northwest.

The following guidelines are the conditions for the formation of a sea of clouds: 1.

A high pressure center in the Sea of Japan and good weather conditions.
A large difference in temperature between morning and midday.
Almost no or weak wind.

The dense fog warning for the southern Tajima region is also helpful.

When these conditions are met, you can enjoy a beautiful view of Takeda Castle surrounded by a sea of clouds.