Takatome Castle, Matsuyama Castle, Takasaki Castle

Takatome Castle, Matsuyama Castle, Takasaki Castle (Gunma)

2017/12/17

On a day trip to Gunma I visited Takatome Castle which has been high on my to do list for quite some time. The neatly carved enclosures and deep trenches are something to behold at a mountaintop castle. I also visited nearby Matsuyama Castle and Takasaki Castle near the station. I had originally planned to visit Minowa Castle instead of Takasaki Castle but the busses are too few and I spent too much time at Takatome Castle. It's frustrating that Minowa Castle is only just out of walking distance yet there is not good transportation to get there.

Matsuyama Castle (Gunma) / 松山城（群馬）

See Takatome Castle for more details about how to get here. It's a small castle ruin but it's a must see if you're going to visit Takatome Castle anyway. The history is somewhat conflicting, but if you visit the site it's very easy to see that even if it wasn't officially a castle before the building of Takatome Castle, there was likely some kind of fortification here at the entrance to Takatome Castle. There are no signs on the site that talk about the castle, but the book 境目の城と館(上野編) has a good map.

Takasaki Castle / 高崎城

if you spend any time in Gunma visiting the many interesting castles you'll likely find yourself with some free time at Takasaki Station at some point. That's the perfect time to take the short walk to visit these few ruins. For my second visit, I got off the bus near the castle on the way back from Takatome Castle. The second time through i found some more points of interest I did not see the first time years ago, like the stone waterway. See the photos for details.

Takatome Castle / 鷹留城

There are 2 easy ways into the castle. The first is via the Otemon. Check the location of the Otemon Photo to find the road to take you there. The second is via the Karametemon. If you are going by bus, the easiest way is to walk to the Otemon and you can visit Matsuyama Castle (Gunma) along the way. There are no signs or maps on site. it is best to take a map if you can find one. The books 群馬の城三◯選 and 境目の城と館(上野編) have good maps. Even though these photos don't do it justice this was a fascinating site to visit. Each of the main baileys is well preserved and the huge horikiri trenches are something to behold. Bus Schedule

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