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16.Minowa Castle Part3

If you were a general, which way you would prefer?

Features

Remaining Stone Walls along Main Route

You can also walk on the Main Route up from the western side of the hill or down from the Second Enclosure. The route goes through the Third Enclosure where you can see the remaining stone walls here and there. It is thought that the builder, Naomasa Ii aimed to show his authority to the visitors passing the route. The Ii Clan later built Hikone Castle using much greater stone walls, but they built stone walls of Minowa Castle as much as they can at that time.

The map around the castle

The Main Route
The remaining stone walls of the Kaji Enclosure on the Main Route
Going to the Third Enclosure from the Kaji Enclosure
The remaining stone walls of the Third Enclosure
Stone walls of Hikone Castle

Later History

The ruins of Minowa Castle was designated as a National Historic Site in 1987. After that, the excavation was done widely between 1998 and 2006 by Takasaki City which owns the ruins. Since then, the city has been developing the ruins as a historical park.

The developed Kaku-Umadashi stronghold
The earthen walls and stone walls over the great artificial trench were also developed
The trail going on the bottom of the trench

My Impression

I was very impressed by Narimasa Nagano and his clan’s way of life to devote themselves to their master and territory. There were also other generals who had different ways of lives such as the Obata and Sanada Clans. If you were a general or warrior in the Sengoku Period, which way you would prefer? In addition, if we apply their lives in present times, the life of the Nagano Clan would be like working for the same company for a long time, the Obata Clan would be changing careers often, and the Sanada Clan would be starting a business. We can think about our own lives from learning about those generals in the Sengoku Period.

The wooden statue of Narimasa Nagano, owned by Chojunji Temple, quoted from the website of Takasaki City
Norizane Obata drawn in the “Battle of Nagashino” folding screens, exhibited by Kanra Town Museum of History and Folklore
The portlait of Masayuki Sanada, the successor of Yukitaka Sanada, who struggled to be independently, privately owned (licensed under Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

How to get There

I recommend using a car when you visit the ruins.
It is about a 30-minute drive away from Takasaki or Maebashi IC on the Kanetsu Expressway. You can park at several parking lots in the ruins.
If you want to use public transportation, you can take the Gunma Bus bound for Ikaho-Onsen from Takasaki Station and get off at the Shiroyama-Iriguchi bus stop. It takes about 5 minutes on foot from the bus stop to get there.
To get to Takasaki Station from Tokyo: Take the Joetsu Shinkansen super express.

The parking lot in front of the Back Route
The parking lot near the Main Route

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Minowa Castle Part1”
Back to “Minowa Castle Part2”

147.Takatenjin Castle Part3

Why Takatenjin Castle is my favorite Mountain Castle

Features

Around Main Route

The Main Route from the south goes up to the Third Enclosure in the eastern ridge. Probably because this route is less steep than the Back route, many fights occurred at this point. However, no one could successfully break this castle by force.

The map around the castle

Around the ruins of the Main Gate
The Main Route
The ruins of Chakuto Turret which instructed the defenders to prevent enemies from attacking

Later History

After Takatenjin Castle fell, the castle was eventually abandoned. The Takaten Shrine, which had been the guardian of the castle, remained on the top of the mountain. People around the area continued to worship the shrine for a long time. As for the castle ruins, they were designated as a National Historic Site in 1975. The research for the castle have been done since 1998. The ruins have also been developed separately.

The Takaten Shrine
The gateway of the Takaten Shrine on the Back Route

My Impression

Takatenjin Castle is my favorite mountain castle in Japan. The reasons for this are listed below.

  1. It was an important point to govern the area around.
  2. The mountain where castle was built on was not so high, that meant the soldiers could run to anywhere in case of emergency.
  3. The castle was not so large, which meant only a few soldiers could protect the castle by themselves.
  4. The slopes of the mountain are all steep or there were many cliffs, meaning enemies couldn’t attack the castle easily.
  5. The view from the top was excellent, that means the defenders could see the situations around the castle very clearly.
    In addition, the castle could get enough water. By visiting the castle ruins, I learned what mountain castles were and I realized the Takatenjin Castle was the best one. I’ve never seen any other mountain castles that have these advantages.
The Back Route passing through rough cliffs
The top is all surrounded by steep cliffs
A view from the top
The ditch seen from the Dono-o Enclosure
Looking down the dry moat from the Dono-o Enclosure

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about 15 minutes away from Kakegawa IC on the Tomei Expressway. There are parking lots for visitors in front of the Main Route and the Back Route.
If you want to use public transportation, you can take the Shizutetsu Justline Bus on the Kakegawa-Daito-Hamamatsu Line bound for Hamaoka-Eigyosho or Daito-shisho from Kakegawa Station and get off at the Hijikata bus stop. It takes about 15 minutes on foot from the bus stop to get there.
To get to Kakegawa Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express.

The castle ruins and the parking lot in front of the Back Route
The southern entrance of the castle ruins leading to the Main Route
The parking lot in front of the Mian Route

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Takatenjin Castle Part1”
Back to “Takatenjin Castle Part2”

147.Takatenjin Castle Part2

The Legendary Strength of The Castle

Features

Going to Castle Ruins through steep slope

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 Ruins
The Back Route
The steep slope through cliffs
the 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 Enclosure
The partly remaining earthen walls
The 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 Enclosure
Looking down a steep slope
The ruins of Fort Hinodake
The Third Enclosure
A 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 Enclosure
A view of the Pacific Ocean from the Western Enclosure
The ditch between the Western and Babadaira Enclosures
The Babadaira Enclosure
The 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 enclosures
The ditch between the Second and Dono-o Enclosures
The Seiro Enclosure

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