Today, you can visit the ruins of Takatenjin Castle easily if you have a car. You can park in front of either the Main Route in the south or the Back Route in the north. If you want to get a taste of how tough the castle was, I recommend walking on the Back Route. The route is flat all the way to the foot of the mountain, but it gets very steep on the slope. It goes up and zigzags through rough cliffs for a while. However, when you reach the top, you will see that it is actually flat. After seeing this, you will understand that the natural terrain was more than suitable for the mountain castle.
The map around the castle
The northern entrance of Takatenjin Castle RuinsThe Back RouteThe steep slope through cliffsthe flat area on the top
Western ridge part
The spot you reached is called the Well Enclosure, which is the connecting point of the eastern and western ridges. The eastern ridge is the older part of the castle, which includes the Kane, Matoba, Main, Gozen, and Third Enclosures. These enclosures were built along natural terrain, which was partly surrounded by earthen walls and paths.
The Well EnclosureThe partly remaining earthen wallsThe original path around the Main Enclosure
The Main Enclosure is at the center and it is the highest point of the castle. You can look down vertically at the steep cliffs anywhere and see a view of Fort Hinodake, one of the Six Takatenjin Forts, from the enclosure. The Third Enclosure is located at the easternmost part of the castle, having a fine view. On a clear and sunny day, you can see a great view of Mt. Fuji in the east.
The Main EnclosureLooking down a steep slopeThe ruins of Fort HinodakeThe Third EnclosureA view of Mt. Fuji from the Third Enclosure
Eastern ridge part
The western ridge is the newer part of the castle which includes the Western, Babadaira, Second, Dono-o, and Seiro Enclosures. The Western Enclosure is the highest point of the ridge where Takaten Shrine currently stands now, so you can see a good view of the Pacific Ocean in the south. The Babadaira Enclosure is below the Western Enclosure and divided by a ditch. Over the Babadaira Enclosure, there is a narrow path. This path is often referred to as “Inumodori” which translates to “Dogs return” meaning “Dogs cannot go through because it’s too tough”.
Takaten Shrine on the Western EnclosureA view of the Pacific Ocean from the Western EnclosureThe ditch between the Western and Babadaira EnclosuresThe Babadaira EnclosureThe narrow path called “Dogs return”
The Second, Dono-o and Seiro Enclosures are in a line next to the Western Enclosure, which were fortified by the Takeda Clan. This was because other mountains are connected over the Seiro Enclosure, which could have been attacked from this direction. To prevent this from happening, Takeda built a long dry moat along these enclosures and deep ditches dividing them.
The long dry moat along the enclosuresThe ditch between the Second and Dono-o EnclosuresThe Seiro Enclosure
The critical point between the Takeda and Tokugawa Clans
Location and History
Mountain being meant for Castles
Takatenjin Castle was located in Totomi Province which is the modern day the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture. It was a simple mountain castle made of soil, but it had a very good location for controlling the province. Many warlords wanted to capture this castle, as a result, what happened in the castle ultimately decided the destinies of both the Takeda Clan and Tokugawa Clan. The mountain where the castle was built on is only 132m high, about 100m from the foot. However, the ridges of it are complicatedly curved and its slopes are quite steep. Moreover, the top of it is not so large, and the view from the top is very clear. That means small defenders could easily protect this castle from attacks of large troops. This mountain was meant for castles.
The range of Totomi Province and the location of the castle
The relief map around the castle
The imaginary drawing of Takatenjin Castle, from the signboard at the site
Battles between Imagawa, Takeda and Tokugawa Clans
It is uncertain when the castle was first built, but the Imagawa Clan was the latest owner of the castle in the first 16th Century. After the Imagawa Clan’s power weakened, Ieyasu Tokugawa managed to capture the castle. Shingen Takeda, who was one of the greatest warlords, also wanted this castle, therefore attacked the castle in 1571. however, he failed to do so before his death in 1572. Singen’s son, Katsuyori Takeda tried to achieve this by building Suwahara Castle in 1573, the north region of Takatenjin Castle, as a foothold. Katsuyori assaulted Takatenjin Castle in 1574, then he managed to capture the castle because the defenders surrendered. He was probably at peak of his power having the largest territory and the highest reputation for the clan at that point.
The Portrait of Ieyasu Tokugawa, attributed to Tanyu Kano, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The Portrait of Katsuyori Takeda, owned by Koyasan Jimyoin, in the late 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The ruins of Suwahara Castle
However, the trend quickly changed after Katsuyori was completely defeated in the Battle of Nagashino near Nagashino Castle by the allies of Nobunaga Oda and Ieyasu in 1575. Ieyasu then started to counterattack in order to get the territory in Totomi Province which included Takatenjin Castle one by one. He first took Suwahara Castle away from Katsuyori in 1576. The castle had been the foundation of capturing Takatenjin Castle once for Katsuyori, but became the one for Ieyasu later on. Ieyasu next built a new castle called it Yokosuka Castle, in the west of Takatenjin Castle, in 1578 to supply his troops and avoid Takeda’s effort to supply to Takatenjin. On the other hand, Takeda improved Takatenjin Castle by building earthen walls, dry moats and ditches between enclosures in the western part of the castle. This was the only the part connected to other mountains. As a result, the castle became much stronger. The final battle was on the horizon.
Part of “Battle of Nagashino”folding screens, owned by Tokugawa Art Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The ruins of Nagashino CastleThe ruins of Yokosuka Castle
Ieyasu’s careful attack
Unlike Katsuyori, Ieyasu didn’t assault the castle. He probably understood he couldn’t get the castle so easily. He took a long time building many other fortresses around the castle to besiege it. The Six Takatenjin Forts (Fort Ogasayama, Nogasaka, Higamine, Shishigahana, Nakamura, and Mitsuiyama) are well known, but in fact, there were as many as 20 fortresses built. Each fortress had a distinct role, such as supplying like Fort Nakamura or preventing from Takeda’s attack like Fort Higamine, and containing the castle like Fort Sannosan. Therefore, Takatenjin Castle was completely isolated.
The ruins of Fort Shishigahana
The location of Takatenjin Castle, Six Takatenjin Forts and Yokosuka Castle
Ieyasu’s long-awaited attack of Takatenjin Castle started in 1580, while Katuyori had problems sending his reinforcement to the castle. This was because Katsuyori’s strength decreased and had to prepare for many other enemies. The starving defenders of the castle urged Ieyasu to surrender. However, the leader of the allies, Nobunaga couldn’t accept it, which was a rare case even during the Sengoku Period when many battles happened. In 1581, the defenders made one last desperate attack from the castle and but were eventually defeated before the castle fell in the end.
The portrait of Nobunaga Oda, attributed to Soshu Kano, owned by Chokoji Temple, in the late 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Turning point of destinies of Ieyasu and Katsuyori
It was said that Nobunaga aimed to ruin Katsuyori’s reputation by showing that Katsuyori couldn’t protect the castle until the last moment. As a matter of fact, when Nobunaga invaded Katsuyori’s territory the next year, almost all retainers of Katsuyori surrendered or escaped from their master without fighting any battles. The battle of Takatenjin Castle would eventually lead to the destruction of the Takeda Clan which may have been a trigger for Ieyasu to be the final ruler of Japan later on.
People in Ozu struggled to restore the Main Tower.
Later History
After the Meiji Restoration, Ozu Castle was abandoned and once used as a government office. However, the castle land was eventually sold and the castle buildings were demolished. Four turrets lastly remain as Owata Turret in the Second Enclosure, the Southern Corner Turret in the Third Enclosure, and the two ones in the Main Enclosure. People in Ozu were afraid to lose the castle ruins, so they turned them into a park with peach trees in the Meiji Era.
The remaining Owata Turret in the Second Enclosurethe remaining Southern Corner Turret in the Third EnclosureThe remaining Handrail TurretThe old photo of the Main Enclosure after being planted with peach trees, exhibited in the castle
After World War II, people in Ozu had been thinking about restoring the Main Tower in the original way, while many other Main Towers in Japan were restored in a modern way like Nagoya Castle. This was because many materials for the restoration remained, such as drawings, the frame model of the tower made when it was repaired, and several clear photos taken before it was scraped, which was a very rare case in Japan.
The Main Tower of Nagoya Castle, restored in a modern waythe frame model of the Main Tower of Ozu Castle, used for the restoration, from the signboard at the site
However, there was a big problem with the law. Japan’s Building Standard Act has very strict rules on wooden buildings which are over 13m tall. The original Main Tower of Ozu Castle was over 19m, which meant it couldn’t be restored. The good news came in the 1990’s, the wooden towers in the other castles of Shirakawa-Komine, Kakegawa and Shiroishi were allowed to be restored. Ozu Castle’s Main Tower is the tallest among other towers, but after a long negotiation with the officials, the tower’s restoration was completed in 2004.
The restored wooden three-leveled turret of Shirakawa-Komine CastleThe restored wooden Main Tower of Kakegawa CastleThe restored wooden Main Tower of Shirakawa-Komine CastleThe restored wooden Main Tower of Ozu Castle
My Impression
I think the Main Tower of Ozu Castle is the best one out of the restored Main Towers in Japan. This is because the tower and two remaining turrets both sides are in perfect harmony. In addition, I recommend seeing the castle from the riverside. River traffic was one of the main means of transportation, so the castle’s design was done considering the view from the riverside. You can see a beautiful completely restored appearance of the Main Tower and the collaboration with the turrets.
A view of Hijikawa River from the Main EnclosureThe riverside of Hijikawa RiverA view of the Main Tower and the Handrail Turret from around the river
How to get There
If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about 10 minutes away from Minami-Ozu IC on the Matsuyama Expressway. There is a parking lot for visitors in the city area near the castle. By public transportation, it takes about 25 minutes on foot from the JR Iyo-Ozu Station. If you go there from Tokyo or Osaka, I recommend traveling by plane or using an express bus.
