Iga Ueno Castle

nihongo|Iga Ueno Castle|伊賀上野城|iga ueno-jō, also known as Ueno Castle and Hakuho Castle, is a castle located in Iga, Mie Prefecture, Japan.

History

Construction on Iga Ueno Castle began in 1585 by the command of Takigawa Katsutoshi. However, the "honmaru", or innermost bailey, as well as the "tenshu", or donjon, upon which the modern reconstruction was based were built by Katsutoshi's successor, Tsutsui Sadatsugu. Sadatsugu was then succeeded by Todo Takatora. Takatora renovated the "honmaru", giving it 30 meter (33 yard) high walls. This meant that the walls of the "honmaru" of Iga Ueno Castle were the tallest of any castle in Japan, a record that still holds. After the threat of rebellion passed, the castle was not seen as important as it once did. As a result, the "tenshu" was not re-built after it was destroyed by high winds in 1612. [ [http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/attractions/facilities/castles/83dn3a000000ed0k.html Iga Ueno Castle ] ]

Today

In 1935, the "tenshu" of Iga Ueno Castle was re-constructed out of wood. [ [http://www.jcastle.info/castle/profile/98-Iga-Ueno-Castle Iga Ueno Castle ] ] It houses a museum which holds a collection of artifacts relating to the area's history. [ [http://www.yamasa.org/japan/english/destinations/mie/ueno_castle.html Iga Ueno Castle, Mie ] ] Most other parts of the castle lie in ruins, though the towering "honmaru" walls still stand. The castle is now a National Historic Site and preserved in Ueno Park. Parts of the Akira Kurosawa movie "Kagemusha" were filmed at Iga Ueno Castle.

ources

Literature

*cite book | title=Castles in Japan| last=Schmorleitz| first=Morton S.| date=1974| pages= | publisher=Charles E. Tuttle Co.| location=Tokyo| id=ISBN 0-8084-1102-4