Tsutsujigasaki Castle (Tsutsujigasaki Yakata) served as the fortified residence of the last three generations of the Takeda clan and is located in the heart of Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Unlike traditional Japanese castles, it was not referred to as a "castle" in Japanese, as the Takeda clan famously believed in relying on their warriors as their true fortifications, stating, "Make men your castle, men your walls, men your moats." Designated a National Historic Site in 1938, the ruins are now open to the public and house the Takeda Shrine, a Shinto shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of the Takeda clan.
The Takeda clan, a cadet branch of the Minamoto clan, gradually gained control of Kai Province during the late Heian period, originally fortifying themselves at Hakusan Castle and Yato Castle. By the Sengoku period, they held the position of shugo (governor) of Kai, and in 1519, Takeda Nobutora chose a central location in the province to establish a fortified residence and castle town. Unlike the common practice of building castles on mountains for defense, Nobutora constructed Tsutsujigasaki on a gentle slope in the Kofu Basin. To compensate for its exposed position, he also built a mountain fortress, Yogaiyama Castle, as a strategic backup stronghold.
The complex was one of the largest residential fortifications in eastern Japan during the Sengoku period. It featured two main enclosures surrounded by a combination of flooded and dry moats. The central enclosure housed the Takeda ruler’s private residence, while the western enclosure served as the administrative center, featuring heavily fortified "umadashi"-style gates. Additionally, two secondary enclosures, Miso-guruwa and Baio-guruwa, provided extra layers of defense. Today, the site retains some of its original water moats and minor stonework, with the Takeda Shrine, built in 1919, standing at its center. A museum, guarded by a stone Hello Kitty, is located to the right of the shrine.
Tsutsujigasaki remained Takeda Shingen’s primary residence after he overthrew his father in 1540. However, in 1581, his son, Takeda Katsuyori, moved to the newly constructed Shinpu Castle in Nirasaki. The Takeda clan met its downfall in 1582 when it was annihilated by the combined forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Following this, Nobunaga's general, Kawajiri Hidetaka, briefly ruled Kai Province from Tsutsujigasaki until Nobunaga’s assassination later that year. With the completion of Kofu Castle in 1594, Tsutsujigasaki was ultimately abandoned.
See also
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Kaminoyama Castle
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Imabari Castle
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Iwakuni Castle
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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
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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
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Tiba Castle
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