Takatenjin Castle

History

It is not known exactly when Takatenjin Castle was built, or by whom, but it was likely built by the Imagawa in their rise to becoming a powerful Sengoku daimyo. The Fukushima clan and later the Ogasawara ruled the castle as retainers of the Imagawa. After the defeat of the Imagawa, the Ogasawara joined with Tokugawa and thus the castle came under Ieyasu's control. Takeda Shingen unsuccessfully attacked the castle in 1571, but his son Katsuyori won in 1574. The following year Katsuyori was defeated by the Oda and Tokugawa forces at Nagashino. By 1581, Tokugawa built six fortifications, including Yokosuka Castle, with the purpose of taking back Takatenjin Castle. In March 1581, the Tokugawa forces attacked the castle and let very few survivors flee. After the victory, Tokugawa razed the castle and the site was no longer used.

This location was chosen for it's commanding view of the area, and the steep mountainsides with multiple ridges that could be easily defended. Takatenjin Castle was famous as one of the most difficult castle to attack.

Visit Notes

The maps and directions to get to this castle on the city website and materials at Kakegawa Station are poor. At Hijikata bus stop, there are no visible signs pointing to the castle either, so be prepared and at least remember the characters for the castle name. Be careful at the bus stop because the nearest sign (behind you on the bus route) actually points the long way to the rear entrance.

The castle itself is a nice collection of ruins with trails throughout. The grounds are overgrown with trees so it's hard to see some of the structures in these pictures, but it's a fun place to explore and imagine what it was like, especially if you keep the castle image in mind while exploring

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Gallery

Mt. Kakuoh.
path from Otemon
sannomaru.
Matoba Bailey
karametemon gate stairs
Idokuruwa bailey
horikiri
dry moat and earthen bridge
Ninomaru
Looking down to the Idokuruwa Bailey
Mt. Fuji
Sign directing you to the castle
map

Castle Profile
English Name	Takatenjin Castle
Japanese Name	高天神城
Alternate Names	Tsurumai Castle
Founder	Imagawa Clan
Year Founded	16 c.
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Next 100 Castles, Top 100 Mountaintop Castles, National Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Kakegawa Sta (Tokaido Line), 25 min bus (North Exit, bus stop #3, bus for Hijikata); get off at Hijikata bus stop; walk about 100 meters beyond the bus stop in the direction of the bus route until you see the big sign for the castle, follow it to the entr
Visitor Information
Time Required
Website	http://lgportal.city.kakegawa.shizuoka.jp/kanko/south/takatenjin/hiking.html
Location	Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture
Coordinates	34° 41' 53.74" N, 138° 2' 4.81" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2010
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2010
Admin Visits	Oct. 11, 2010

1.00

(2 votes)

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RaymondWDaimyo

136 months ago

Score 0

This was the first of three castle visits this weekend. As the website administrator have already mentioned, there isn’t much to see here at this castle ruin in terms of stone walls, fortifications, and other remaining structures. What remains at this castle site are some dry moats, ruins of some baileys, and some earthen walls. The Honmaru (Main Bailey), Ninomaru (Second Bailey), Sannomaru (Third Bailey) and the Baba Bailey are well kept and clear of undergrowth or bamboo which often cover the ruins of baileys found at other yamashiro ruins (mountaintop castles) from the Sengoku Period. The Nishimaru (West Bailey) is now the site for a shrine. Some of the routes throughout the castle are closed because of fallen trees, which have not been cleared. Don’t know when they will re-open some of the paths at this place. The trees must have been brought down in some typhoons (not recently) or typhoon-like conditions (recently?). It takes around 15 minutes walk from the bus stop to the trailhead at the base of the Otemon (Ote Gate). If you like taking photos and checking out all the features of this castle ruin, it will take around 1.5 to 2 hours to do this castle ruin properly. For me, this is a solid one-star castle ruin to visit, as long as you treat it as more of a bushwalk with some features of a castle ruin thrown in. I can see how other castle fans may rate this less, but (military) history buffs or Takeda fans will probably enjoy this site more.

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