タグ: illuminated cherry blossoms

132.Takada Castle Part3

A park for the illuminated cherry blossoms, the lotus flowers and the castle ruins

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Takada Castle was used as a ground for the Japanese Army. The Main Hall and the Three-story Turret were unfortunately burned in 1870, and all other buildings of the castle were also demolished. Local people started to plant lotus to earn money for themselves as well as the former warriors at the same time. That lotus has now become an attraction of the city. In 1908, the headquarters for the 13th Division of the Japanese Army was set at the Main Enclosures of the castle. The army destroyed most of the earthen walls and buried many of the moats. Instead, they planted a lot of cherry trees which have also become another attraction today. After World War II, the castle ruins were turned into the Takada Park equipped with public facilities. In more recent years, Joetsu City is tying to balance relaxation and sites of the ruins for the park, renaming it the Takada Castle Site Park in 2020.

The drawing when the castle was used for the Japanese Army ( from the signboard at the site)
The ruins of the gate for the headquarters for the 13th Division of the Japanese Army
The monument of the Takada Castle Site Park
The remaining earthen walls of the Main Enclosure and the rebuilt Three-Story Turret on them

My Impression

I was surprised to see the width of the Outer Moat and learned that it was originally wider. It was certainly possible to absorb damage from a gun attack of enemies at that time. Even without stone walls and a Main Tower, it remains strong to this day. You can enjoy seeing the castle as well as cherry blossoms in spring, lotus flowers in summer, autumn leaves in fall, and snow in winter in the park. If you have time, I recommend walking around the city area near Takada Station, the former castle town. The formation of the town still remains with the rare covered alleys called Gangi to prevent snow from entering.

The Outer Moat of Takada Castle
A view of the illuminated cherry blossoms at the Takada Castle Site Park (licensed by Cp9asngf via Wikimedia Commons)
A view of the lotus flowers at the Takada Castle Site Park (taken by v-pro from photoAC)
The Gangi covered alleys which can be seen in the city area

How to get There

車で行く場合：
上信越自動車道上越高田ICから約１０分かかります。城跡にいくつか駐車場があります。
電車の場合は、えちごトキめき鉄道高田駅から歩いて約２０分かかります。
東京から高田駅まで：北陸新幹線に乗り、上越妙高駅でえちごトキめき鉄道に乗り換えてください。

Takada Station

Links and References

・Takada Castle Site Park, Joetsu Tourism Convention Association

That’s all.
Back to “Takada Castle Part1”
Back to “Takada Castle Part2”

132.Takada Castle Part2

The good contrast of the remaining moats and earthen walls, and the rebuilt turret

Features

Wide and Long Water Moats remain

Now, the ruins of Takada Castle have been developed as the Takada Castle Site Park. The park is also very famous for the illuminated cherry blossoms and the lotus in the Outer Moat credited as “the largest in the East”. As for the castle ruins, the earthen walls of the Main Enclosure, the Inner Moat, and the western part of the Outer Moat mostly remained intact. If you visit the ruins from the west such as Takada Station, you will first see the remaining Outer Moat with a huge amount of lotus plants.

The aerial photo around the castle

The Outer Moat of Takada Castle

Center of Park – Third and Second Enclosures

The Outer Moat is still very large, which was at maximum 130m wide in the past. Even now it remains at about 100m wide. You can now go across the moat on the road to the Third Enclosure and the Second Enclosure inside. The Third Enclosure is used for the modern facilities such as a baseball stadium and an athletic field.

The Third Enclosure over the Outer Moat

The Second Enclosure is the center of the park with a lot of cherry trees. You can walk along the promenade beside the Outer Moat. In fact, the high earthen walls were built along the moat, but they were removed when a Japanese Army started to use the castle ruins.

The promenade in the Second Enclosure

There is also the Joetsu City History Museum in the enclosure where you can learn more about the castle and the area around.

The Joetsu City History Museum

Main Enclosure and Rebuilt Three-Story Turret

The Main Enclosure surrounded by the Inner Moat and the earthen walls have three entrances for visitors. The first one is the former front gate from the restored wooden bridge called Gokuraku-bashi outside on the south.

The restored Gokuraku-bashi Bridge

The second one is the ruins of the Higashi-akazu-mon Gate on the east.

The ruins of the Higashi-akazu-mon Gate

The last one is on the west and was built by the Japanese Army in the modern times.

The entrance of the Main Enclosure in the west

The Three-story Turret was also rebuilt in 1993 on the earthen walls at the southwest corner of the Main Enclosure, based on the successful excavations and studies. The turret is in fact a steel building, but it looks traditional because of the many wooden materials used.

The rebuilt Three-Story Turret on the earthen walls

Its interior is used as a museum and as a sightseeing tower. You can also see a good contrast of the Inner Moat, the earthen walls and the turret from the outside.

The interior of the Three-Story Turret
A view from the Three-Story Turret

The inside of the enclosure was used as the Main Hall for the lord of the castle, and is now used as a school.

The miniature model of the Main Enclosure of Takada Castle (the Joetsu City History Museum)
The inside of the Main Enclosure in the present

To be continued in “Takada Castle Part3”
Back to “Takada Castle Part1”