Master castle-builder, Todo Takatora built Iga Ueno Castle towering up from a hill, and which was reconstructed during the Showa Period. The castle keep is of very beautiful construction, and many tourists visit it in spring as a spectacle of cherry blossom-viewing.
I recommend entering the castle through Hakuho Gate on the south side.
Hakuho Gate, said to have been donated by an influential local, is huge and imposing! From here you get a feeling of climbing up to the castle.
Once you climb to the keep, you can view the whole of the town Iga Ueno, and the breeze up there is very pleasant.
“During the rule of Toyotomi, it was positioned facing east in order to deter Tokugawa and other warriors of Owari and Mikawa. Once under the rule of Tokugawa, it is said to have been extended to the west, and a high stone wall was built, for battles from the direction of Toyotomi in Osaka”, explained Mr. Nakaura of the Iga-Ueno Tourist Association.
By climbing up to the keep, I learnt about the history of Iga Province, which played an important role in seizing rule.
When the fighting ended, Todo Takatora developed the castle town on the south side, and even today you can sense its atmosphere when walking around the town.
The castle keep of Iga Ueno Castle was renovated at the beginning of the Showa Period using materials invested in by locally born member of the Diet, Kawasaki Katsu. The ceiling of the third floor of the keep is set with calligraphy and paintings by well-known people associated with Kawasaki, such as politicians and artists from the era of its completion. The first and second floors offer displays of numerous weapons and historical material.
