[Takaoka Castle Town (① Secondary capital of Kaga Domain and Toyama Prefecture)] (Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture, Former province name: Etchu)

The Kaga domain (present-day southern Ishikawa prefecture) had a large territory with a land area of ​​one million koku during the Edo period. The domain's lord, the Maeda family, ruled Kaga and neighboring countries from its base in Kanazawa, and established a solid system of control by placing his family and powerful vassals in key locations in the domain. Since the founder of the domain, Maeda Toshiie (1538-1599), the Kaga domain belonged to the Shogunate system while maintaining a subtle tension with the Tokugawa family, and the Shogunate also paid close attention to the movements of the Kaga domain. Toshiie's son, Toshinaga (1562-1614), was forced to steer the ship in particularly difficult times around the time of the Battle of Sekigahara. As a result, Toshinaga, though still in his prime, adopted his youngest brother, Toshitsune (1594-1658), who was only 11 years old, and handed over the family headship to him. The background to this is that Toshitsune had married the daughter of the second Tokugawa Shogun, Hidetada, and Toshinaga's deep consideration, who valued his relationship with the shogunate, can be seen. After retiring, Toshinaga left Kanazawa and moved to Toyama in Ecchu Province (present-day Toyama Prefecture) to look after Toshitsune. However, after a major fire in 1609 destroyed Toyama Castle, he began construction of a castle in Sekino in the west of the province six months later. Located near the Oyabe River, the area was ideal for controlling shipping between the rich agricultural region and the Sea of ​​Japan, and was also expected to function as a fortress to protect the east of Kanazawa, taking advantage of the surrounding marshes. Toshinaga also developed the castle town, and renamed Sekino "Takaoka." This is where Takaoka was born, which prospered as the secondary capital of the Kaga Domain and the second largest city in Toyama Prefecture. Toshinaga died in the castle five years after entering Takaoka Castle, and shortly after, the shogunate issued the "One Castle per Province" order, which led to the castle being abandoned after only a short period of operation. However, while Toshitsune abandoned the castle in principle, he chose to preserve its grounds and structure, and established rice and salt storehouses for the domain. He dispatched samurai to manage the castle, leaving the framework of a castle town. As a result of this, the castle ruins, now known as "Takaoka Old Castle Park" (photos 2 and 3), retain their original form from Toshinaga's time, and the moat in particular is said to be one of the best preserved remains in Japan. Considering these facts, it can be imagined that while the brothers Toshinaga and Toshitsune obeyed the shogunate, they were never relaxed and took charge of Takaoka in anticipation of an emergency. With Toshinaga's death and the castle nominally abandoned, the town of Takaoka began to decline. However, Toshitsune had a deep respect for the virtues of his elder brother Toshinaga, who had appointed him head of the Maeda family, and he worked to restore the prosperity of Takaoka, which Toshinaga had painstakingly developed. A symbol of this is Zuiryuji Temple (photos 1, 4th to 10th). The temple was originally built in Kanazawa by Toshinaga to mourn his former lord, Oda Nobunaga, but after Toshinaga's death, his posthumous name was incorporated into the temple's name, and it was established as Toshinaga's family temple about 2.5km south of Takaoka Castle. The temple was constructed over a period of about 20 years until 1663, the 50th anniversary of Toshinaga's death, and even though the temple grounds were reduced due to a major fire in the mid-Edo period, it remains magnificent and still boasts an immense presence as a temple representing the Hokuriku region. Zuiryuji Temple was built either as a base to guard the south side of Takaoka Castle or to promote the development of the old castle town, and it ended up fulfilling both functions, and it also became an opportunity to spread high-level techniques in woodworking and crafts to Takaoka. If you actually visit the temple, you will see that the approach to the temple runs straight from the grave of Toshinaga, one of the largest individual feudal lords in Japan, and the main gate, mountain gate, Buddha hall, and lecture hall are lined up on the axis of the approach, in a Zen style layout. The white sand in the area from the main gate to the mountain gate, and the grass that spreads out beyond the mountain gate are particularly beautiful, and while it is orderly and without a single gap, it creates a pattern of light and dark tones that are skillfully woven together, making it a work of art in itself. The corridors surrounding the temple grounds also retain their Edo-period architecture, and the entire temple complex has the order and power of a royal palace. Recently, guided tours by monks have been gaining popularity. While talking about the history and charm of Zuiryuji Temple, they also interject current events and humorous tales, capturing the attention of the audience, almost like a rakugo performer. I came across this by chance while accompanying a group tour, and even though I had my next trip planned, I found myself sitting upright and listening intently. The cheers and applause of the visitors echoing through this temple, which could be called the holy ground of the "kingdom" built by Toshitsune and the Maeda family, seemed to embody the development and charm of the town of Takaoka. Recommended for solo travelers: ★★★ (There are quite a few people, but it's a large place so it doesn't bother me) Visited: 3rd Sunday in April around 11am Access: 10 minutes walk from Takaoka Station (to Zuiryuji Temple) #TakaokaCastle #ZuiryujiTemple #ToyamaTrip #ToyamaTourism #TakaokaCity #HokurikuTrip #HokurikuTourism #toyama_next #ToyamaTourismNavi #ToyamaSeriousness #FoundTakaoka