Miyagi

Taga Castle Remains

One of the oldest castle sites in Japan

Justin Velgus Jan 13, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>The Tsubo no Ishibumi (壺の碑) is housed inside this wooden building. It was made in 762 to mark the area where Taga Castle was constructed</p>

<p>Steps leading to where the provincial office once stood</p>

<p>A picture from an onsite map showing castles and fortresses creeping northwards over the centuries to drive out the Emishi</p>

<p>Mini model of what the enclosed office would have looked like</p>

<p>Site of the old provincial office where military and town matters were decided</p>

<p>Looking towards the center of the castle. The marker on the right reads Taga Castle Ruins</p>

<p>Historical markers dug up from archeological digs are on display in the open</p>

<p>Remains of a Heian period road once the castle was expanded</p>

<p>Remains of where a large warehouse once stood</p>

Taga Castle was built in the first half of the Nara period (710-794) as part of a defense line against the Emishi people of the north. Administrative work and military planning at the walled-in provincial office would have been occasionally interrupted by attacks. Eventually the dominant Japanese empire would conquer the entire north and set their sights on Hokkaido.

Now the castle ruins are a historic park. Given its large size it is easy to spend an hour or two looking at everything, though don't expect to see more than traces of history you'll have to piece to together with some imagination. Signs in Japanese and simple English tell you what you are looking at. The castle was designated a special historic site in 1995. Onsite is also the Tsubo no Ishibumi (壺の碑), one of the three oldest historical markers in Japan. Free admission. Open daily. More info in the supporting article here.

Justin Velgus @justin.velgus

Justin Velgus (ジャスティンベルガス) is the Miyagi Prefecture expert for Japan Travel and a long-term contributor since 2012 with a focus on the Tohoku region. Justin has written extensively for JT, and other publications such as VisitMiyagi and Sake Today, amassing over 350 published articles...