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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Nadzima Castle
It is believed that the first structures on this site were built by Tachibana Akitoshi (?-1568), head of the Tachibana clan, a branch family of the Ōtomo clan, as auxiliary fortifications for Tachibanayama Castle. In 1587, Toyotomi Hideyoshi established control over the island of Kyushu and granted Chikuzen Province to Kobayakawa Takakage, one of the leading vassals of the Mori clan. Takakage began construction of a new castle on the site of the existing fortifications in 1588. The exact date of completion is unknown, but by the time the invasion of Korea began in 1592, the castle had already been finished, as records note that Toyotomi Hideyoshi stayed there overnight on his way to Hizen Nagoya Castle, which served as the headquarters of the invasion forces.
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Kubota Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be Satake Yoshinobu (1570–1633). Yoshinobu was one of the six great generals of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. During the Odawara Campaign of 1590, he took part in the siege of Oshi Castle under the command of Ishida Mitsunari, with whom Yoshinobu developed a good relationship.
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Kavanhoe Castle
Kawanoe Castle is located on the small Wasi-yama hill near the port area of the Kawanoe district in the city of Shikokuchuo, occupying a central position along the northern coast of Shikoku Island. Kawanoe was also known as Butsuden Castle. The term “butsuden” in Japan refers to temple halls, and for this reason it is believed that a Buddhist temple once stood on the site before the castle was built. Due to its location at the junction of four provinces on Shikoku Island, Kawanoe held significant strategic importance and was repeatedly targeted by rival forces seeking military control over the region.
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Yokote Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be the Onodera clan. The Onodera were originally a minor clan from Shimotsuke Province and served Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199), the founder of the first shogunate. The Onodera distinguished themselves in battle against the Fujiwara clan of the Ōshū branch and were rewarded with lands around Yokote. Around the 14th century, the Onodera moved to Yokote as their permanent residence. Their original stronghold was Numadate Castle, but after a series of clashes with the powerful Nambu clan, they relocated their base to the site of present-day Yokote Castle. It was likely during this time that the first fortifications appeared at the castle.
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Wakayama Castle
Wakayama Castle was built in 1585, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered his uterine brother, Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hidenaga, to construct a castle on the site of the recently captured Ota Castle. The purpose of this construction was to secure control over the likewise newly conquered Province of Kii. Following an already established tradition, Hidenaga entrusted the project to his castle-building expert, Todo Takatora. Takatora carefully inspected the future castle site, personally drew up several designs, created a model of the planned castle, and took part in the work of laying out the grounds (nawabari). For the construction he brought in more than 10,000 workers and completed the large-scale project within a single year, which was considered extremely fast by the standards of the time.
Toyama Castle
Toyama Castle is located almost in the very center of the former province of Etchū and is surrounded by a wide plain with a large number of rivers. The very first castle on the banks of the Jinzu River was built in 1543 by Jimbo Nagamoto. The Jimbo clan were vassals of the Hatakeyama clan and governed the western part of Etchū Province. The eastern part of the province belonged to their rivals, the Shiina clan, who were also Hatakeyama vassals. Beginning in the 15th century, the influence of the ancient Hatakeyama clan gradually weakened, and as a result, the Jimbo and the Shiina fought constant wars for control of the province. Meanwhile, the forces of the Ikkō-ikki movement periodically intervened, helping first one side and then the other.
Takada Castle
During the Sengoku period, the lands where Takada Castle would later be built were part of Echigo Province and were controlled by the Uesugi clan.
Kishiwada Castle
The celebrated 14th-century military commander Kusunoki Masashige (1294–1336), who owned extensive lands south of what is now the city of Osaka, ordered one of his vassals, Kishiwada Osamu, to build a fortified residence. This order was carried out around 1336. These fortifications became the first structures on the site of what would later become Kishiwada Castle. From the beginning, the castle stood in a strategically important location—roughly halfway between the cities of Wakayama and Osaka, south of the key port of Sakai. Because of this position, it changed hands several times during periods of warfare.
