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【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
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【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
【高取城】（奈良県高取町　旧国名：大和）
hanakin_kozakuraJapan
levelIconSenior Travel Expert

[Takatori Castle] (Takatori Town, Nara Prefecture, former province name: Yamato)

Looking back at the history of wars in Yamato (present-day Nara Prefecture), it is clear that the conflicts were between the northern plains, where the ancient capital was located, and the powers of the "mountain realm" that gazed upon it from the south. In particular, during the Jinshin War (672) in the Asuka period and the conflicts between the Northern and Southern Courts, huge forces based in the mountains of Yoshino and Omine, leading to a succession of large-scale battles that shook the mountains and fields of the Kinki region. At these times, the bases in the central and southern parts of Yamato, located between the northern and southern forces, naturally became areas of dispute, and their presence inevitably increased. Takatori is a prime example of such a strategic location, and in the Middle Ages, the powerful Ochi clan built a castle on the mountainside of Mount Takatori, incorporating Tsubosakadera Temple (officially known as Nanhokkeji Temple) and displaying their military might to the surrounding area. As the Ochi clan mainly sided with the Southern Court, they served on the front line in fighting the Northern Court forces. As a result, their military power was recognized by the Northern Court, and they maintained their previous influence even after the Southern Court left Yoshino and the Ochi clan surrendered to the Northern Court. However, due to their delicate position as a former Southern Court ally and the fact that they were the most powerful in southern Yamato Province, they often willingly instigated conflicts between powerful clans. The biggest of these was the Yamato Eikyō War, which took place over a period of 10 years from 1429. In addition to the ambition of the Ochi clan, the complex alliances between Yamato Province and the shogunate led to a series of conflicts on a large scale that foreshadowed the arrival of the Warring States period. As a result, the Ochi clan was defeated by the shogunate forces and temporarily fell into ruin, but they persevered and continued to survive until the Azuchi-Momoyama period, with Takatori as their base. Takatori Castle is deeply permeated with the history of the Ochi clan, but in the Edo period, the Uemura clan, a fudai daimyo, established the Takatori Domain and used it as their base for 14 generations until the Meiji Restoration. Although Takatori Domain was a small domain with an income of just 20,000 koku, its lord held important positions in the center of the shogunate and was also responsible for monitoring foreign daimyo in the western provinces. However, in 1863, as the momentum for sonno joi (revere the Emperor and expel the barbarians) was growing, a group of rōshi (masterless samurai) suddenly attacked the nearby Gojo magistrate's office and raised an army to overthrow the shogunate. After Gojo, this so-called "Tenchu-gumi" targeted Takatori Castle as their next target. The Tenchu-gumi noticed that Takatori Castle was extremely strong, and planned to take it by surprise attack in preparation for the upcoming battle with the Shogunate army. They advanced under cover of darkness with an army said to be as many as 1,000 strong, but the Takatori clan sensed this and, despite their small number of soldiers, skillfully used natural disasters to strengthen their defenses. This resulted in the surprise attack failing, and the Tenchu-gumi were taken by surprise and retreated. Takatori Castle was the site of a few sieges throughout the Edo period, and the victory in these battles earned it the reputation of being a strong castle. (According to legend, a cannon that had been entrusted to the castle by the Shogun in preparation for emergencies in the early Edo period proved effective. Ryotaro Shiba wrote about this strange episode in his short story "Oh, Cannon.") When the Takatori clan was abolished after the Meiji Restoration, the castle also fell into disrepair, and most of the buildings were demolished. However, the stone walls that supported the castle stand silently in the dense forest, maintaining a majestic appearance worthy of its name of impregnable. It is amazing that a small domain with only 20,000 koku of land could build such a magnificent fortress by piling up stone walls in such a harsh environment, 583 meters above sea level and 390 meters above sea level. It is easy to understand why it is called one of the three great mountain castles in Japan, along with Bitchu Matsuyama Castle in Okayama Prefecture and Iwamura Castle in Gifu Prefecture. In particular, as you approach the axis of the castle, such as the main and second citadels, the height of the stone walls becomes even more prominent, and their sharp shapes seem to be refined. The linear structure of the stone walls with little curvature and the softness of the fallen leaves create a strange disharmony, and you are seized by a sense of instability that is somehow unreal. Nevertheless, when you stand on the stone walls of the main citadel, you can see the distant blue mountains of Yoshino through the trees, and the sunlight finally shining in helps you regain your sense of balance. As I stood there in the phosphorescent light of the damp mountains, I thought of the turmoil and transience of the Ochi clan and the Tenchugumi, and couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine as I sensed the vastness of history. Recommended for solo travelers: ★★★★ (There are people, but not many. You can enjoy sightseeing in peace!) Visit date: Around 2pm on a weekday in the second week of November Access: About an hour's walk from the bus stop "Tsubosakadera" (You can also drive to the castle entrance, but there is no parking lot, so you can only park if there is space available) #Takatori Castle #Nara #Nara Prefecture #Nara Trip #Nara Tourism #I'm a Nara School #Delicious and Beautiful Nara #Back to Nara now #Nara Love #Takatori Town #Domestic Travel Lover #Castle #Famous Castle #Castle Tour #Castle Tour #Japan's 100 Famous Castles #Japan's 100 Famous Castles #Castle Lover #Castle Lover #Stone Wall #Ancient Battlefield #Mountain Castle #Japan's Three Greatest Mountain Castles #Tenchugumi #Late Edo Period #Lover of the Late Edo Period #Meiji Restoration #History Lover #Solo Travel #Life with Travel
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Posted: Feb 17, 2024
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