is a castle located in the city of Takayama

Takayama, Gifu

is a city located in Gifu, Japan. As of July, 2011 the city has an estimated population of 92,369. The total area is .Takayama was settled as far back as the Jōmon period. Takayama is best known for its inhabitants' expertise in carpentry. It is believed carpenters from Takayama worked on the...

, Gifu Prefecture

Gifu Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The castle was built on a mountain nearly 687 m (2,254 ft) in height and had many typical castle features, including a stone base, earthen walls and a surrounding moat. In spite of its defensive appearance, however, the castle was not built for battles. Its style is similar to Azuchi Castle

Azuchi Castle

' was one of the primary castles of Oda Nobunaga. It was built from 1576 to 1579, on the shores of Lake Biwa, in Ōmi Province. Nobunaga intentionally built it close enough to Kyoto that he could watch over and guard the approaches to the capital, but, being outside the city, his fortress would be...

, which was built by Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga

was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...

.

History

During the Sengoku period

Sengoku period

The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...

, Mitsugi Yoritsuna (三木自綱) moved to Takayama to take control of Hida Province

Hida Province

is an old province located in the area of Gifu Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province was in the Tōsandō area of central Honshu.-History:...

 and built Matsukura Castle

Matsukura Castle

was a castle in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan . It was built by, and ruled from, by Yasutane Shiina during the 16th century.-Outline:...

. Yoritsuna was in alliance with Sassa Narimasa

Sassa Narimasa

, also known as Kura-no-suke , was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku through Azuchi-Momoyama period. He became a retainer of Oda Nobunaga in 1550 and was granted Etchū Province as a reward for helping Shibata Katsuie fight the Uesugi clan. After Nobunaga's death, in 1584 he joined Tokugawa Ieyasu...

 in neighboring Etchū Province

Etchu Province

was an old province in central Honshū, on the Sea of Japan side. It was sometimes called , with Echizen and Echigo Provinces. It bordered Echigo, Shinano, Hida, Kaga, and Noto provinces...

 and was against Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...

. To combat Yoritsuna, Hideyoshi ordered Kanamori Nagachika

Kanamori Nagachika

was a Japanese samurai who lived from the Sengoku period into the early Edo period. He was the first ruler of the Kanamori clan and served as a retainer of the Oda, Toyotomi, and Tokugawa clans. Later in his life, he also became a daimyo....

 (who was then the ruler of Echizen Ōno Castle

Echizen Ono Castle

, also known as simply Ōno Castle, as well as Kameyama Castle, is a mountaintop castle, or yamashiro, located in Ōno, Fukui Prefecture, Japan.- History :Kanamori Nagachika was stationed in this area by Oda Nobunaga...

) to go to battle against Yoritsuna.

Nagachika originally began his battle against Yoritsuna using another castle; however, in 1588, he began construction of Takayama Castle. By 1600, the main and secondary castle keeps were completed, but it would be another three years before the third keep was completed. In addition to the construction of the castle, Nagachika also developed a castle town

Castle town

A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns are common in Medieval Europe. Good example include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles...

 at the same time.

When the Kanamori clan moved to Dewa Province

Dewa Province

is an old province of Japan, comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. It was sometimes called .-Historical record:...

 in 1692, they transferred control of the castle to the Maeda clan

Maeda clan

The was a branch of the Sugawara clan who descended from Sugawara no Kiyotomo and Sugawara no Michizane in the eighth and ninth centuries. It was one of the most powerful samurai families in Japan and they were second only to the Tokugawa clan in rice production and fief size...

. Three years later, though, control of the castle was transferred to the Shogun

Shogun

A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...

.

The remains of the castle are in the present-day Shiroyama Park.

Castle rulers

Kanamori clan

Kanamori clan

The was a Japanese clan during the Sengoku period that descended from Seiwa Genji through Hida Province's Toki clan. This clan ruled over the Hida-Takayama Domain during the Sengoku period.-History:One of Toki Sadayori was also known as Ōhata Sadayori...

1. Kanamori Nagachika
   Kanamori Nagachika
   was a Japanese samurai who lived from the Sengoku period into the early Edo period. He was the first ruler of the Kanamori clan and served as a retainer of the Oda, Toyotomi, and Tokugawa clans. Later in his life, he also became a daimyo....
   
   
2. Kanamori Arishige (金森可重)
3. Kanamori Shigeyori (金森重頼)
4. Kanamori Yorinao (金森頼直)
5. Kanamori Yorinari (金森頼業)
6. Kanamori Yoritoki (金森頼時)