Takashima Castle

History

The castle was built by Lord Hineno from 1592 to 1598. It is the highest elevation flatland castle ever constructed in Japan. The castle is also known as a the "Floating Castle" because it was built on a small island in the lake that was connected to the shore by a narrow path of land. The lake now since a couple blocks West of the castle and is periodically dredged to maintain a consistent shoreline.

The Suwa clan had ruled over the area around Lake Suwa for hundreds of years but lost control in 1542. In 1601 they regained control and continued to rule until 1869. In the 1870's the castle was dismantled by order of the Meiji government.

Visit Notes

Visit the Suwa Taisha shrines around Lake Suwa while you are in the area. They are some of the oldest shrines in Japan and designated Important Cultural Properties.

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Gallery

• 

  main keep, moat and gate
• 

  yagura
• 

  Kabuki Gate
• 

  moat
• 

  main keep
• 

  moat
• 

  gate
• 

  main keep
• 

  main keep and moat
• 

  gate, moat, donjon, bridge
• 

  Kabukimon gate
• 

  main keep
• 

  view from the top of the main keep
• 

  ART - Onsenji Sanmon (relocated gate)
• 

  ART - Onsenji Hondou / Noh Stage

Castle Profile
English Name	Takashima Castle
Japanese Name	高島城
Alternate Names	Suwa no Ukijiro, Takasaki-jo
Founder	Hineno Takayoshi
Year Founded	1592
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	Reconstructed main keep
Designations	Next 100 Castles
Historical Period	Edo Period
Main Keep Structure	3 levels, 5 stories
Year Reconstructed	1970 (concrete)
Features	main keep, gates, turrets, bridges, water moats, stone walls, walls
Visitor Information
Access	Kamisuwa Sta. (Chuo Line), 10 min walk
Visitor Information
Time Required
Website	http://www.city.suwa.nagano.jp/contents/contents main.asp?BOXNO=2265
Location	Suwa, Nagano Prefecture
Coordinates	36° 2' 23.28" N, 138° 6' 43.13" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2007
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2007
Admin Visits	Nov 17, 2007
Friends of JCastle
Malcolm Fairman Photography - Takashima Castle

2.71

(17 votes)

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Anonymous user #1

27 months ago

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I lived in KamiSuwa back in 1997-98. Takashima was one of my favorite places! It is both beautiful and tranquil and I miss it.

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ARTShogun

36 months ago

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Have added co-ordinates / map for old pictures and new, including relocated structures.

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ARTShogun

64 months ago

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I visited relocated structures from Takashimajō now at Onsenji, a nearby temple. A relocated gate from the castle is used as the temple's sanmon (main gate), and is particularly at home in its new location because the temple sits on a terrace on the hillside supported with bold ishigaki. In addition to the gate, the temple's main hall was formerly a building housing a Noh stage built at the castle by 8th generation castle lord, Suwa Tadamichi. One can see where extra facades have been built where formerly they would've been open to allow the audience to see the performance canopied under the large projecting gable.

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ARTShogun

96 months ago

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Takashima Castle and the surrounding town are small but pleasant. The reconstructed tenshukaku (donjon) has imitation wood paintjob and strips of copper plating for roof tiles and so its appearance is refreshingly different. This style is consistent throughout all of the structures at the site.

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RaymondWDaimyo

160 months ago

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This castle is around 15 minutes walk from JR Kami-Suwa Station. If you want to get the classic photo shot of this castle with the castle keep in the background and the bridge and moat in the foreground, it is best to go in the morning. I got there in the arvo, so for that castle shot, you are shooting directly into the sun after midday. The reconstructed castle keep (rebuilt in 1970) is okay on the outside, but the museum inside and the architecture inside leaves a lot to be desired. The staff is pretty helpful, and there is a pamphlet available in English. The castle is opened from 9 to 5:30 (April – September) and 9 to 4:30 (October – March). Entry is 300yen.

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Anonymous user #1

162 months ago

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I heard that this castle was one of the three most beautiful water castles; it must have been amazing for travelers to see when it was right at the lakeshore. The outside, the moat and the bridge made for some great photos. The garden was okay – lots of green - I would love to see the frozen moat in winter; photos of fuji and sakura season looked good too. For a building reconstructed in the 70`s the inside had a very 1920`s art-deco feel to it – a first for me. There was a small collection of clocks, glasses, (Suwa industries) and a selection of weapons, (there are better collections at the Suwa Taisha treasure houses and the City Museum), but the highlight was the so-old-it`s-nostlagic CGI animation video of the Suwa vs the Takeda. The castle sells mainly books and doesn't have a mascot but other places sell Yuu-hime kitty-chan or Takashima-jo Doraemon if one of your goals in life is to collect historical figures in cat version.

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Anonymous user #1

167 months ago

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This castle is easy to include when visiting Matsumoto castle. It is an interesting castle design from the outside and worth seeing in the winter with its frozen lake. However the inside of the castle is a big disappointment and obviously not considered important. Don't spend the money on the inside museum, stay on the outside.

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FurinkazanDaimyo

184 months ago

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I went there in april. The castle, being a concrete reconstruction, is a bit of a disappointment from the inside. Even the artifacts in the museum aren't that interesting. The castle park and the moats are on the other side very nice and worth a visit.

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