Takada-jô (Takada Castle) was constructed during the end of the Sengoku Period (c. 1467-c. 1615 C.E.) by Matsudaira Tadateru, son of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu and one of his concubines. Since he was not one of Ieyasu’s main children and therefore not eligable for higher positions of power, he was made lord of what is now Niigata Prefecture, replacing Toyotomi loyalist lords and keeping an eye on neighboring lords too powerful to replace. Takada-jô is not built on an overseeing bluff like many other castles, rather it was built on a small height in a relatively flat area near the joining of two rivers which were used to provide water for the moats. Takada-jô was crucially a part of the Tokugawa shogunate’s tenka fushin projects which were a series of public projects funded by allocating funds and resources from potential threats to the new shogunate’s authority. Namely, defensive structures of a threat’s castles were taken apart and the materials relocated to make an ally’s new castles with the funding and manpower also coming from the threat’s territory. Sasayama-jô was another one of these castles constructed using the materials from other castles. Since the Meiji Period (1869-1912 C.E.) and the dissolution of the warrior class, their associated power, and the vast majority of castles across the nation, the castle was transformed into a public park in 1907. What does remain of the original castle is just the foundations while a reconstructed three-story tower stand where the original keep stood.

For visitors: 5.

I would rate this higher but Jôetsu is not exactly a common stopping place for most people, however if you are in the area, it’s a beautiful place to stop. The castle really changes so much visually with the very distinct sights of the seasons. In summer the park is green, in autumn the cherry trees turn orange and yellow, in winter snow blankets the land with meters of snow, and in spring the oceans of pink blossoms bloom. I wasn’t able to spend much time personally, not only because I was only there for about a day, but I was also there during the middle of a massive snow storm. But, my friend who grew up in the area, never stops telling me how beautiful it is no matter the time of the year.