* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Takatsuki Castle
高槻城
Takatsuki Castle is a historic castle in the Kansai region (Sengoku period to early Meiji period (late 16th century to abolished in 1874)). Its lord was Takayama Ukon; Okabe clan; Nagai clan.
Overview
Overview
Takatsuki Castle was a flatland castle located in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture. Part of the castle site has been developed as Takatsuki Castle Park. In the late 16th century, Takayama Ukon, renowned as a Christian daimyo, took up residence in the castle and made his mark in history as an unusual castle that fused his exceptional castle-building skill with his faith. Twenty churches were built within the domain, and Takatsuki became a "Christian castle town" and one of the leading centers of missionary activity in western Japan. Through both the Toyotomi and Tokugawa regimes, it functioned as a key strategic point in Settsu Province, and it continued to exist until its abolition in Meiji 7 (1874).
History
The origins of Takatsuki Castle are said to date back to around the 14th century, and during the Sengoku period Wada Koremasa served as its castellan. In 1573 (the 1st year of Tenshō), after a conflict with Koremasa's son Korenaga, Korenaga was driven from the castle, whereupon Takayama Hida-no-kami (Ukon's father) and Ukon, father and son, became castellans. Ukon was known as a devout Christian, and in cooperation with the Jesuit missionary Organtino, he built churches and a school for Christian students (shugakuryō) in the Takatsuki castle town. The castle itself was also remodeled into a sturdy fortress with a sōgamae (an outer enclosure surrounding the castle town), in which the town was enclosed by moats and earthen embankments. In the 13th year of Tenshō (1585), Ukon was transferred to Akashi in Harima Province. In 1587, with the Bateren Expulsion Edict, he refused to renounce his faith, lost his domain, and later took refuge in Kaga under the protection of the Maeda family. In 1614 (the 19th year of Keichō), he was exiled to Manila in the Philippines under the Tokugawa shogunate's edict of expulsion from Japan, and he died there the following year, 1615. After Ukon's transfer, Hashiba Hidekatsu and Toyotomi family magistrates served as castellans. After the Siege of Osaka, castellans changed hands among the Naitō, Toki, Matsudaira, and Okabe clans, and from the 2nd year of Keian (1649) the Nagai clan served as castellans until the end of the Edo period. In Meiji 7 (1874), the stone walls were dismantled to make way for railway construction between Kyoto and Osaka. Today part of the castle site has been developed as Takatsuki Castle Park, and nearby is the Takatsuki City Shiroato History Museum.
Castle Structure and Features
Takatsuki Castle was located in the basin of the Akutagawa River, a tributary of the Yodo River. Although it was a flatland castle, it had a highly defensive structure with multiple water moats. In the 3rd year of Genna (1617), renovation work directly undertaken by the Edo shogunate made it the only early modern castle in Hokusetsu, and enclosures such as the main enclosure (honmaru), second enclosure (ninomaru), and third enclosure (sannomaru) were developed. Excavations have yielded stone walls, foundation stones, wells, and ceramics, confirming both the scale of the castle as an early modern fortress and its integrated landscape with the castle town. Near the presumed site of a church at the former sannomaru, a Christian cemetery was excavated, and wooden coffins inscribed in ink with a two-barred cross, as well as rosaries, have been unearthed.
Connection to Swords
Takayama Ukon possessed outstanding military talent as a warrior and was also one of the generals highly regarded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His knowledge of castle construction is said to have later been put to use in the repair of Kanazawa Castle under the Maeda family.
Access and Current Status
Today the site is developed as "Takatsuki Castle Park," featuring a landscape that reproduces the moat, stone walls, and bridge of the ninomaru, a stone monument marking the Takatsuki Castle site, and a statue of Takayama Ukon. It is about a 10 to 15 minute walk from Takatsuki Station on the JR Kyoto Line or Takatsuki-shi Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line. The Takatsuki City Shiroato History Museum, close to the castle site, displays models of Takatsuki Castle and other exhibits.
Connection to Swords
Takayama Ukon was a Christian daimyo who served Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His knowledge of castle construction is said to have later been put to use in the repair of Kanazawa Castle.
Highlights
- The "Christian castle town" developed by the Christian daimyo Takayama Ukon
- A center of Christian missionary work, with twenty churches built within its domain
- The only early modern castle in Hokusetsu, renovated directly by the shogunate in the 3rd year of Genna (1617)
- Developed as Takatsuki Castle Park, an Osaka Prefecture Designated Historic Site
* Opening hours and admission fees are subject to change. Please check the official website before visiting.