Tōdō Takatora (1556–1630) served at different times as a vassal of several famous clans—Azai, Oda, Toyotomi, and Tokugawa. He took part in the Battle of Anegawa (1570), the Battle of Shizugatake (1583), the invasions of Kyushu and Korea, the Sekigahara campaign (1600), and the Siege of Osaka (1614–1615).
Even before Hideyoshi’s death, Takatora switched sides to support Tokugawa Ieyasu. After the Battle of Sekigahara, he was ordered to build Imabari Castle, since he was regarded as an expert in castle design. Construction began in 1602, the main structures were completed by 1604, and in 1608 a residence for the castle commander was built. Despite the unstable sandy ground, Takatora managed to create a powerful fortification, incorporating the most advanced architectural ideas of his time. Imabari is considered one of Takatora’s finest works.
Imabari had major strategic importance for controlling sea traffic through the Seto Inland Sea (Seto Naikai). Many towers were built within the castle, oriented toward the sea.
At its peak in the 17th century, a strong fleet was stationed near the castle on a постоян basis. Imabari was counted among the three most famous “sea castles,” meaning that seawater was used to fill the castle moats. The construction of the castle gave a strong boost to the development of the city of Imabari.
After the residence was completed in 1608, Takatora moved to Imabari from his castle in Uwajima. However, in that same year he was appointed commander of Iga Ueno Castle, and the position of governor of Imabari Castle was taken by his adopted son, Tōdō Takayoshi.
In 1610, the castle’s main keep was dismantled and moved to Kameyama Castle in Tamba Province. In 1635, Takayoshi was replaced by Matsudaira Sadafusa. The Matsudaira clan held the castle until the Meiji Restoration. In 1873, the castle was abandoned.
The main keep was reconstructed in 1980 using reinforced concrete to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Imabari being granted city status. It is a five-tier, six-story tower. The tower was rebuilt based on the blueprints of the keep at Kameyama Castle, but it does not replicate the original historical keep. Inside there is a museum with some quite interesting exhibits.
From the keep’s observation deck, there is a panoramic view of the city, the small islands of the Inland Sea, and Mount Ishizuchi, the highest peak in western Japan.
In addition to the keep itself, sections of walls, several gates, and some towers have been reconstructed at the castle. Three towers are open to visitors: Okane-yagura, Yamazato-yagura, and Bugu-yagura (which is combined with the Kurogane-mon Gate).
In the wall in front of the Kurogane-mon Gate, you can see the largest stone in the castle: Kanbe-ishi. Huge stones in the castle’s stonework did not provide any special advantage; they were meant to display the power of the daimyo. Such stones were usually placed in highly visible locations, often at the entrance to the castle. The stone’s name is connected to Kanbe Watanabe, who supervised the castle’s construction while Takatora was away.
Imabari Castle is also known by another name: Fukiage. The Shinto shrine currently located on the castle grounds is also called by the same name.
At Imabari Castle, you can do more than just get a commemorative stamp. As a fun activity, they offer what is known as a “stamp rally”: using a special booklet, you collect stamps at specific locations in the keep and in all three towers. Once you’ve collected them all, you receive one more stamp featuring Tōdō Takatora, along with a complimentary postcard.
See also
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Iwakuni Castle
Kikkawa Hiroie (1561–1625) was the grandson of the famous daimyo Mori Motonari and a vassal of the Mori clan. Under Mori Terumoto, he fought in both Korean campaigns and took part in the defense of Ulsan Castle. During the Battle of Sekigahara, Hiroie stood with his 3,000-man force on the side of the Western Coalition; however, even before the battle began, he sent Tokugawa Ieyasu a secret message stating that he did not intend to fight Tokugawa’s troops. As a result of his inaction, 15,000 soldiers under Mori Hidemoto were also unable to enter the battle, since Hiroie blocked their path.
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Gujo Hachiman Castle
Gujo Hachiman Castle is located on 350-meter Mount Hachiman, near the confluence of the Yoshidagawa and Kodaragava rivers, and not far from the Nagaragawa River. During the Sengoku period, this area was of great strategic importance: it stood at a key crossroads of routes connecting Mino Province in the south with the Sea of Japan in the north, and Hida Province in the east with Echizen Province in the west.
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Amagasaki Castle
The founding year of Amagasaki Castle is traditionally considered to be 1617, when Toda Ujikané built his castle here, making it the administrative center of the Amagasaki Domain. However, as early as the Sengoku period, a fortress built by the Hosokawa clan already stood on this site. After the fall of Itami Castle in 1579, Araki Murashige—formerly a vassal of Oda Nobunaga who had rebelled against him—fled to this earlier castle.
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Hiroshima Castle
Mōri Terumoto (1553–1625) was the grandson and rightful heir of the renowned Mōri Motonari. When Terumoto became the head of the Mōri clan in 1571, he inherited vast territories covering a large part of the San’in and San’yō regions in western Honshū. In addition, the Mōri clan possessed the largest and most technologically advanced naval fleet of its time.
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Fukuyama Castle
After the defeat of Toyotomi Hideyori’s supporters in the Osaka Campaigns of 1614–1615, many clans in Japan still remained not fully loyal to the Tokugawa shogunate, especially in the western Chūgoku region. Mizuno Katsunari (1564–1651), a cousin of Tokugawa Ieyasu, became the first of the Tokugawa house’s close retainers, the so-called fudai daimyō, to be relocated to this strategically important area.
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Tiba Castle
The founder of the Chiba clan is considered to be Chiba Tsunesige (1083–1180), who in 1126 moved his residence to the Inohana area and built a strongly fortified stronghold there. Although Tsunesige himself came from the Taira clan, the Chiba clan later supported Minamoto no Yoritomo, the future founder of the first shogunate.
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Sunomata Castle
Oda Nobunaga, as part of his “final solution” to the conflict with the Saitō clan, conceived the construction of a fort in the Sunomata area, which was intended to serve as a forward base for an attack on Inabayama Castle (later renamed Gifu). Sunomata was a swampy area located between Ogaki Castle, a stronghold of the Oda clan, and Inabayama, the main fortress of the Saitō clan. Earlier attempts to build fortifications in this area, carried out by Oda generals Sakuma Nobumori and Shibata Katsuie, had all ended in failure. After that, the task was entrusted to the young vassal Kinoshita Tokichirō, who later became known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
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Shibata Castle
The exact time when structures first appeared on the site of the present-day castle is unknown; however, it is generally believed that the first fortified buildings were constructed here during the Muromachi period, when these lands were controlled by the Shibata clan.
