Takato Castle, located in the city of Ina in southern Nagano Prefecture, Japan, was a notable stronghold during the Sengoku period. By the end of the Edo period, it was the residence of a cadet branch of the Naito clan, the daimyo of the Takato Domain. Also known as Kabuto Castle, it was originally constructed in the 16th century and is now mostly in ruins.
The castle is situated on a hill in what was once Takato Town, at the eastern edge of the Ina Valley in southern Nagano. It was strategically positioned at the crossroads of the Akiba Kaido, a route connecting Totomi Province with the Suwa region of Shinano and Kai Province, and a road leading to western Ina Valley and Mino Province. The location was crucial for controlling southern Shinano from Kai Province. The castle overlooked the confluence of the Mibugawa and Fujisawa rivers, which provided natural defenses. Its fortifications included deep trenches, earthen ramparts, and stone walls, arranged in concentric rings, typical of Takeda Shingen’s style. The Central Bailey was protected by the Second and Third Baileys, along with four additional enclosures. Most of the gates were box-shaped for added defense. During the Edo period, the castle’s front gate was moved to the west to face the castle town directly. A han school, constructed in 1860, was situated within the Third Bailey, and a few samurai residences from that era still remain in the surrounding area.
The exact date of Takato Castle’s construction is unknown, but before it existed, there was another fortification controlled by the Takato clan, retainers of the Suwa clan, who had dominated the region since the Kamakura period. In 1545, Takeda Shingen broke his alliance with the Suwa clan and captured Takato Castle during his campaign to conquer southern Shinano. After seizing the castle, Shingen had it completely rebuilt according to contemporary military designs by his strategist, Yamamoto Kansuke. Shingen granted the castle to his retainer, Akiyama Nobutomo, and later passed it on to his son, Takeda Katsuyori. From Takato Castle, Shingen launched his invasion of Mino Province and his final campaign toward Kyoto in 1572.
After Shingen's death, the castle was defended by Nishina Morinobu, Katsuyori's younger brother. However, in 1582, Oda Nobutada, son of Oda Nobunaga, captured the castle during the Battle of Temmokuzan, overwhelming the 3,000 defenders with 50,000 troops. Despite Nishina’s valiant resistance, the Takeda forces were ultimately defeated.
Following the destruction of the Takeda clan, Takato Castle was granted to Nobunaga’s general Mori Hideyori. After Nobunaga’s assassination in the Honno-ji Incident, the castle fell under the control of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who assigned it to Hoshina Masanao. When the Tokugawa were relocated to the Kanto region by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1590, Takato was given to Hideyoshi’s general, Ogasawara Sadayoshi. Tokugawa Ieyasu regained control of the castle after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1603, and under the Tokugawa shogunate, Takato became the center of the 30,000 koku Takato Domain, ruled by the Hoshina clan. The Hoshina were succeeded by the Torii clan (1636–1689) before the Naito clan took control until the Meiji Restoration.
With the establishment of the Meiji government and the abolition of the han system, the castle structures were dismantled, and surviving gates were donated to nearby temples or sold to private owners. Today, the site is preserved as Takato Castle Ruins Park (Takatojoshi Koen), famous for its cherry blossoms, which were planted in the Meiji period. The park is considered one of Japan’s top three cherry blossom viewing spots, alongside Hirosaki Castle and Mount Yoshino. Though little of the original castle remains, some moats and stone walls have survived. One yagura has been reconstructed, and the Otemon (main gate), which had been moved to a high school, was returned to its original site in 1984. The oldest remaining building on the castle grounds is the Shintokukan, a former han school built by the last daimyo of Takato, Naito Yorinao.
See also
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Okayama Castle
According to a number of accounts, the earliest fortifications on the site of present-day Okayama Castle appeared as early as the 14th century and were built by the Nawa clan. The Asahigawa River was used as a natural defensive barrier, protecting one side of the fortifications.
In the early 16th century, the Kanamitsu clan constructed a new castle here, which at the time was known as Ishiyama. In 1573, it came under the control of the Ukita clan, after which Ukita Naoie (1529–1582) launched large-scale reconstruction efforts. He did not live to see the work completed, and construction was continued by his son Hideie. -
Nagahama Castle
Hashiba, later known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, received Odani Castle and the surrounding lands from Oda Nobunaga after the defeat of the Azai clan. However, Odani Castle was located high in the mountains, which made it poorly suited for the effective administration of the territory. For this reason, in 1575 Hideyoshi began constructing a new castle in the village of Imahama on the shore of Lake Biwa. Taking the character naga from Nobunaga’s name, he renamed both the village and the new castle Nagahama.
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Kokura Castle
Kokura Castle is traditionally considered to have been founded by Hosokawa Tadaoki (1563–1645), although by the time the Hosokawa clan came to control these lands, the fortification had already existed since at least 1569 and was most likely built by members of the Mori clan.
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Ikeda Castle
In 1334, Ikeda Noriyoshi built a small fort on this site, which over time was repeatedly expanded and rebuilt. During the Ōnin War of 1467–1477, the Ikeda clan supported the Western Coalition. As a result, Ikeda Castle was attacked and captured by the forces of the Eastern Coalition, but it was soon recaptured, allowing it to avoid serious destruction.
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Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle
Aizu-Wakamatsu is the most powerful and at the same time the oldest castle in the Tōhoku region in the north of Honshu Island. Its history begins in the 14th century and is closely connected with the Ashina clan, whose members claimed descent from the legendary Taira family.
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Maruoka Castle
Maruoka Castle is located in the central part of the former city of Maruoka, which is now part of the city of Sakai. This area lies in the northeastern part of Fukui Prefecture. The castle was built on the bank of the Kuzuryu River, on the side opposite Fukui City, which once served as the administrative center of the former Echizen Province. Thanks to its location, Maruoka held significant strategic importance, as it controlled two major routes at once: the Hokurikudo highway leading from Kaga Province and the Mino Kaido road connecting these lands with Mino Province.
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Marugame Castle
Marugame is part of the so-called “Authentic Dozen,” a group of twelve castles whose donjons have survived to the present day without major reconstructions since the Edo period.
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Iyo Matsuyama Castle
Historically, the center of Iyo Province—corresponding to today’s Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku—was the city of Imabari, while the Matsuyama area was regarded as an agricultural hinterland with broad plains and low hills. During the Muromachi period, the central part of the province was governed by the Kano clan from Yuzuki Castle. With the onset of the Sengoku period, however, this clan lost its former influence and was forced to survive in the shadow of the more powerful Mori and Chōsokabe clans. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s forces conquered Shikoku in 1587, the northern part of Iyo Province was granted to Fukushima Masanori, one of the so-called “Seven Spears of Shizugatake.” In 1595, Masanori was transferred to Kiyosu Castle, and the lands around Matsuyama were given to another of the Seven Spears, Katō Yoshiaki, who received Masaki Castle and an income of 60,000 koku of rice.
