| Iga Ueno Castle | |
|---|---|
伊賀上野城 | |
| Iga,Mie Prefecture,Japan | |
 Reconstructedtenshu of Iga Ueno Castle | |
| Site information | |
| Type | hirayama-styleJapanese castle |
| Open to the public | yes (park) |
| Condition | partially reconstructed |
| Location | |
  Iga Ueno Castle Iga Ueno Castle Show map of Mie Prefecture Iga Ueno Castle Iga Ueno Castle (Japan) Show map of Japan | |
| Coordinates | 34°46′12″N136°07′38″E / 34.770091°N 136.127194°E /34.770091; 136.127194 |
| Site history | |
| Built | Edo period |
| Built by | Tsutsui Sadatsugu /Tōdō Takatora |
| In use | Edo period |
| Demolished | 1871 |
Iga Ueno Castle (伊賀上野城,Iga-Ueno-jō), also known asUeno Castle (上野城,Ueno-jō) is aJapanese castle located in the city ofIga,Mie Prefecture in theKansai region of Japan. The castle is also calledHakuho Castle (白鳳城,Hakuhō-jō), or "White Phoenix Castle," because of its beautiful architecture and floor plan. The castle has been protected by the central government as aNational Historic Site since 1967.[1]
Iga Ueno Castle is located on a hill at the northwestern corner of plateau formed by the Kizu River and Tsuge River, in the center of the city of Iga. The city itself is located in a mountainous basin on an important route connecting the ancient capital cities ofNara andKyoto with theIse Grand Shrine and provinces of eastern Japan.Iga Province was a small province separated from neighboring provinces on all sides by mountains. Inhabitants maintained autonomy from outside control through reliance onasymmetric warfare tactics, which later came to known asninjutsu. From around the 1460s until their conquest by Oda Nobunaga in 1581, these warrior families, later known asninja, self-governed the province as theIgaikki, with a headquarters at the site of where the castle now stands.
In 1581,Oda Nobunaga invaded and conquered Iga. Construction on Iga Ueno Castle began in 1585 by the command ofTakigawa Katsutoshi. UnderToyotomi Hideyoshi,Tsutsui Sadatsugu (1562-1615), was transferred fromKōriyama Castle inYamato Province to rule over Iga. He reconstructed the castle by dividing the hill into an upper eastern half and lower western half, with the upper portion forming thehonmaru, orinnermost bailey, with a three-storytenshu on its eastern edge.
Following theBattle of Sekigahara,Tokugawa Ieyasu expelled Tsutsui Sadatsugu from Iga Province for his pro-Toyotomi stance and installed his trusted generalTōdō Takatora to rule over Iga and the northern half ofIse Province. Tōdō also had a reputation for castle architecture and had previously builtUwajima Castle andImabari Castle. At Iga Ueno, he renovated thehonmaru, giving it 30 metres (98 feet) high walls. This meant that the walls of thehonmaru of Iga Ueno Castle were the tallest of any castle in Japan. He also significantly expanded the castle area overall, with largekuruwa terraces of over 100 meters in length extending to the east and west. This gave the castle an overall size of 800 meters by 400 meters in total, with the new inner baily shifted to the western half of the hill. The site of the Tsutsuitenshu became the main residence, and a new five-storytenshu was in the process of being constructed when it was destroyed in a wind storm in 1612. However, after the Toyotomi clan was extinguished at theSiege of Osaka in 1615, the castle lost its importance and thetenshu (along with a planned series of water moats and stone walls) was never completed.[2]
Following theMeiji restoration, all of the remaining structures of Iga Ueno Castle were destroyed.
In 1935, thetenshu was re-constructed out of wood.[3] It houses a museum which holds a collection of artifacts relating to the area's history.[4] Most other parts of the castle remain in ruins, though the toweringhonmaru walls still stand. The castle is preserved as Ueno Park. Iga Ueno Castle was listed as one ofJapan's Top 100 Castles by the Japan Castle Foundation in 2006.[5]
Parts of theAkira Kurosawa movieKagemusha were filmed at Iga Ueno Castle.
Immediately alongside the castle is theIga-ryū Ninja Museum which features a model village and a museum of ninja history and displays.
The castle is a 30-minute walk fromIga-Ueno Station on theJR WestKansai Main Line or a five-minute walk fromUenoshi Station on theIga Railway.
Media related toIga Ueno Castle at Wikimedia Commons
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