The century-old Takashima castle on Lake Suwa is considered one of Japan’s top three lake castles, along with Zeze Castle on Lake Biwa (Shiga Prefecture) and Matsue Castle on Lake Shinji (Shimane Prefecture). This castle has an interesting historical context, and the geographical location is also quite important.
Before knowing more about Takashima Castle, one must know about the famous lake on which this “floating castle” is located. Both castle and the lake are in Suwa, southeast of Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture. Lake Suwa is one of Japan’s most famous lakes and has been featured in several movies and anime.
Unique construction
Photo by: WikiCommons/ 663highland A natural moat to guard the castle.
In 1592, Takashima Castle was built by Lord Hineno, a vassal of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Takashima Castle was initially built on a small island extending into Lake Suwa. After completing construction, the water of the lake reached the edge of the castle and it looked like the structure of the was castle suspended over the lake. Hence it became known as “the floating castle of Suwa.” The lake itself was there as a natural moat on the three sides of the castle.
Today, the situation has changed. Over time, urbanization took place around Lake Suwa. The lakeshore has moved away from the castle and parts of the castle’s structure were reconstructed in the 1970s. Only the northern and eastern sides of the moat and the inner garden are preserved.
The seasonal attractions of the garden
Photo by: iStock/663highland Lush, green gardens await you in summer.
The castle garden is very beautiful and has trees that bloom in different seasons. It becomes more popular when the cherry blossoms bloom in spring or the red leaves come in autumn. But its beauty does not diminish a bit on a snowy winter day.
Inside Takashima castle
Photo by: WikiCommons/ Blazeman A view of modern-day Suwa.
The Suwa clan ruled the area around Lake Suwa for hundreds of years and it is quite interesting to know about that history. The first floor provides some special exhibitions on Suwa’s traditional events and tourist information, and the materials related to Takashima Castle are displayed on the second floor. From the small observatory room on the third floor, you can see the snow-capped Japanese Alps, Suwa city and the peak of Mount Fuji on a clear day.
