Taki Castle (Mikawa)

History

Takijō was built by Matsudaira Noritaka, and occupied by his son, Matsudaira Noriyoshi, in the 16th century. Matsudaira Noritaka was the third patriarch of the Takiwaki-Matsudaira branch clan, and served Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Mikawa-Ikkō Revolt. Takijō was likely abandoned in 1590.

Visit Notes

Takijō is a hilltop fortification site in Taki Township, Okazaki Municipality. Takijō likely had a kyokan (residential area) but this has since been developed over. The castle-mount is a hill overlooking the Takisan-Tōshōgū. The riverside beneath the mount has many old stone-piled retaining walls shoring its banks.

Takisan-Tōshōgū was my main inducement to visit Taki. This shrine to honour Tokugawa Ieyasu was constructed in 1646 by Tokugawa Iemitsu, and the temple surrounding the mausoleum grew to be even larger than the other famous Tōshōgū shrines at Nikkō and Kunōzan. Takisan-Tōshōgū was considered to be one of the historic Three Great Tōshōgū Shrines, alongside Senba-Tōshōgū and Hōraisan-Tōshōgū. The shrine, originally a temple founded in 1122, possesses some of the oldest architecture in Okazaki, including a niōmon (guardian deva gate), constructed in 1267, serving as the temple's sanmon (main gate).

The original temple complex was also quite vast. Although today the temple, Takisanji, and the shrine, Takisan-Tōshōgū, are distinguished from each other, they were historically part of the same institution. I also visited the shrine-temple's Hōmotsuden (treasure hall) to see the treasures located there. They include buddhist statues - one with human teeth - and some very old komainu (guardian lion-dog) statues. Takisanji has fine stone walls, and there are scenic rapids nearby.

Gallery

Gatehouse to religious complex in Taki
Hilltop

Castle Profile
English Name	Taki Castle (Mikawa)
Japanese Name	三河瀧城
Alternate Names	Takimurako-yashiki (滝村古屋敷)
Founder	Matsudaira Noritaka
Year Founded	16th Century
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features
Visitor Information
Access	Bus or rental cycle from downtown Okazaki
Visitor Information	24/7 free; mountain
Time Required	40 minutes
Location	Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture
Coordinates	34° 59' 9.46" N, 137° 12' 21.67" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2024
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed
Friends of JCastle
Jōkaku Shashin Kiroku
Umoreta Kojō

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