History of Takayama: Takayama Castle 高山の歴史：高山城

Located in the innermost bailey, a Japanese castle’s main keep was its stronghold, and it was rare for the daimyo to live there. However, Takayama Castle’s main keep had dozens of rooms, including bath and a tea room (chashitsu) that looked out over the town, indicating that guests may have been entertained there.

Nagachika’s descendants governed Takayama until 1692, when the Tokugawa shogunate transferred the Kanamori family to Kaminoyama domain (in what is now Yamagata Prefecture). Hida domain was ruled by the powerful Maeda family for three years until the shogunate took direct control of the region. The castle, including most of its stone fortifications, was dismantled, but some of its buildings were saved and relocated. The long storehouse at Takayama Jin’ya, the former administrative headquarters of the domain, is likely to have been the old castle’s rice storehouse. The main hall of Hokkeji Temple is also thought to have been part of Takayama Castle.