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Toyama · Takaoka

Takaoka Castle

高岡城

Takaoka, Toyama

CastleFlatland castle (hirajiro)Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 37

What makes this castle distinctive

More than a third of the castle site is water: moats dug 400 years ago still lie in the middle of town in almost their original shape.

Why?

Takaoka Castle was abolished in 1615, but the Kaga domain chose not to fill in its moats. In the early Meiji era, when the land was about to be sold off, local people petitioned to keep it as a park. So although there is no keep or turret, the moats and the shapes of the baileys (kuruwa, the walled sections of a castle) survive remarkably well after some 400 years.^[1][2][6]

Three things not to miss

Water-filled moats covering a third of the site

Where: All around the castle site (Takaoka Kojo Park). The park recommends the view of the Ikenohata moat (west outer moat) and the main enclosure from near Kajimaru or the Choyo Bridge and Choyo Falls.
What to look at: The broad water and the raised edges of the baileys inside it. On the west side of the main enclosure (honmaru), a cliff about 15 m high rises from the water.
Why it's interesting: About 37% of the castle's roughly 218,000 square meters is man-made moat, and the soil dug out was packed down to build up the baileys. Takaoka City says it is very rare anywhere in Japan for moats to escape being filled in and for bailey shapes to survive for some 400 years.^[1][2][6][8]
Can you see it?: Visible from outsideFreely visible from inside the park and from surrounding streets. Fishing in the moats is not allowed.

Stone walls of the earthen bridge between the main and second enclosures

Where: Both sides of the earthen bridge (a causeway of packed earth across the moat) linking the honmaru and the ninomaru (second enclosure).
What to look at: The nozura-zumi style of stacking rough, uneven stones with gaps between them, and the marks such as 田 and + carved into the stones.
Why it's interesting: This is one of the few structures surviving from when the castle was built. There are about 920 stones on the Ikenohata side and about 850 on the inner-moat side, and more than 60 kinds of carved marks, thought to be stonemasons' signs, have been found. The stones appear to have come from places such as Amaharashi and Himi. After the Meiji era some were removed and reused, for example in river embankments.^[5][7]
Can you see it?: Visible from outsideVisible as you cross the bridge and from the moat side.

A layout of umadashi baileys in a row

Where: The route from the honmaru across the earthen bridges to the ninomaru, Kajimaru and sannomaru (third enclosure).
What to look at: How, on the southeast and southwest of the honmaru, baileys line up beyond the moats so that the moats are doubled, while the northwest side has a single moat that once faced marshland.
Why it's interesting: An umadashi is a small bailey placed in front of a gate to hold off attackers. Takaoka Castle was made a National Historic Site partly for its strongly defended plan, with umadashi baileys set around the honmaru. Castle archaeologist Senda Yoshihiro has said that no other early modern castle in Japan built its whole plan around umadashi so thoroughly.^[1][2][8]
Can you see it?: Partly visibleYou can walk the baileys and moats, but trees make the overall plan hard to see from the ground. Compare it with the displays at Takaoka Municipal Museum or the park walking map.

At a glance for visitors

Nearest station: 15 min walk from Takaoka Station, Kojo Park Exit (North Exit)
Climb: Not confirmed
Time neededEditors' estimate: Allow about 1.5–2 hours to walk around the moats and baileys and visit the museum.
Admission: Free
Hours: 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Access: Open to visitors
The castle site is open to walk around as Takaoka Kojo Park. Takaoka Municipal Museum inside the park is free. The Japan 100 Castles stamp is at the back right of the museum reception; after closing it is moved outside the entrance, so it is available 24 hours a day.

Checked: 2026-10-03

View on map Open in Google Maps Takaoka Municipal Museum: Takaoka Castle ruins (Japanese)Takaoka Kojo Park official website (Japanese)

The story of this castle

Scholarly interpretation

Why here?

In March 1609, a great fire destroyed Toyama Castle, where Maeda Toshinaga had been living in retirement. For his new castle he chose the northern tip of a low plateau then called Sekino. Takaoka Municipal Museum explains that rivers to the west linked it by boat to rice-growing plains and seaports, and that wide marshes below the cliffs to the north and west made it easy to defend.^[1][6]

Historical record

The retirement castle of Maeda Toshinaga

The castle was built by Maeda Toshinaga, eldest son of Maeda Toshiie and second head of the Maeda family, lords of the Kaga domain (han). He named the place Takaoka after a phrase in the Chinese Classic of Poetry, and in September 1609, only about six months after work began, he moved into the still unfinished castle. About 30 of his letters about the construction survive, showing that he gave detailed orders himself.^[1][6][14]

Scholarly interpretation

A stronghold between two powers

In 1609 the Toyotomi family still held Osaka. Toshinaga's family had long served the Toyotomi, but he had chosen to side with the Tokugawa and had sent his mother, Matsu, to Edo as a hostage. The museum suggests that, even in retirement, he needed a base of his own he could rely on in an emergency. That is why Takaoka was built as a practical fortress, defended by moats and earthen ramparts.^[1]

Historical record

Abolished after six years, but the moats stayed

Toshinaga died in 1614, and in 1615 the shogunate's "one province, one castle" order abolished Takaoka Castle. Its buildings are thought to have been torn down at that time. But the third Kaga lord, Maeda Toshitsune, did not fill in the moats. He set up rice and salt storehouses inside, posted guards and kept the public out, while the town around it was turned into a center of crafts and trade.^[1][2][6]

Historical record

Saved from sale by the townspeople

In the early Meiji era, the castle site (except the moats) was sold off to private buyers. Local people strongly opposed this, and a group led by Hattori Kajuro petitioned the prefecture to make it a park. On July 4, 1875, the site became Takaoka Park and was spared from being turned into farmland.^[1][2][6]

Historical record

A park for 150 years, now a National Historic Site

In the late Meiji era, gardeners trained in the Kyoto tradition redesigned the grounds, and work for a 1951 industrial exhibition gave the park much of its present form. Excavations in the honmaru found 16 foundation stones, showing that a palace more than 50 m wide once stood there. The site was named one of Japan's 100 Fine Castles in 2006 and a National Historic Site in 2015.^[1][2]

People of this castle

Builder of the castle, second head of the Kaga Maeda family

Maeda Toshinaga

前田利長

1562–1614

Eldest son of Maeda Toshiie and second head of the Maeda family of Kaga. He sided with the Tokugawa around the Battle of Sekigahara, and after retiring he built Takaoka Castle in 1609 and founded the town of Takaoka.

Third Kaga lord, who kept the moats after the castle was abolished

Maeda Toshitsune

前田利常

1594–1658

Third head of the Maeda of Kaga. Adopted by his elder brother Toshinaga, he succeeded him in 1605. After the great fire of 1631 he moved the castle's center from the main enclosure to the second enclosure, largely fixing the layout of Kanazawa Castle as it is today.

Timeline

1609
After Toyama Castle burns, Maeda Toshinaga builds Takaoka Castle and moves in that September^[1][6]
1614
Maeda Toshinaga dies^[1][2]
1615
Abolished under the "one province, one castle" order (some say 1638)^[1][6]
1875
The castle site becomes Takaoka Park^[1][2]
2006
Named one of Japan's 100 Fine Castles^[1][6][11]
2015
Designated a National Historic Site^[1][2]

Buildings and remains

The keep today

No keep was built

There is a keep-base-like projection at the north corner of the honmaru, but the museum believes no keep had yet been built. A map dated three years after construction labels the spot as a timber storehouse.

The site today

The whole site is Takaoka Kojo Park (about 210,000 m²). The northwest half of the honmaru is a lawn, and the rest is the grounds of Imizu Shrine. The park also holds Takaoka Municipal Museum, a small zoo and a gymnasium.

Main buildings

Original

Stone walls of the honmaru–ninomaru earthen bridge

Original rough-stone walls with more than 60 kinds of carved marks.^[5][7]

Site only

Honmaru palace

Nothing stands today. Excavations found 16 foundation stones from a palace more than 50 m wide.^[1][2]

Original

Minbu Well

A castle-era well in the sannomaru, 80 cm across and 8 m deep. The thatched shelter over it was added later and has been re-thatched in recent decades.^[5][9]

Key facts

Type: Castle
Setting: Flatland castle (hirajiro)built on flat ground, defended by moatsEditorial article
Period: Early modern (1570s–1871)Editorial article
Keep (tenshu): No keep was builtthe castle never had a keepEditorial article
Built by: Maeda ToshinagaJapan Castle Foundation
Built: 1609Japan Castle Foundation
Main lords: Maeda ToshinagaJapan Castle Foundation
Abandoned: 1615Wikipedia (ja)
Remains to see: Moats, Stone walls, Earthen ramparts, Baileys / enclosures (kuruwa)Editorial article
Designation: National Historic Site (Takaoka Castle ruins) (2015); Toyama Prefecture Historic Site (1965)Editorial article
Selection: Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 37Japan Castle Foundation

Visiting

Access

Open to visitors

The castle site is open to walk around as Takaoka Kojo Park. Takaoka Municipal Museum inside the park is free. The Japan 100 Castles stamp is at the back right of the museum reception; after closing it is moved outside the entrance, so it is available 24 hours a day.

Address

1-9 Kojo, Takaoka, Toyama 933-0044 (Takaoka Kojo Park office)^[6][3]

Checked: 2026-10-03

Nearest stations and how to get there

Takaoka Station, Kojo Park Exit (North Exit)Ainokaze Toyama Railway, JR Johana Line, JR Himi Line

about 15 min walk · Not confirmed

About 1 km northeast. From Shin-Takaoka Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, take the JR Johana Line or a bus to Takaoka Station.^[4][10]

Checked: 2026-10-03

Etchu-Nakagawa StationJR Himi Line

about 4 min walk · Not confirmed

The closest station to the north side of the park.^[10]

Checked: 2026-10-03

Hours and admission

Takaoka Municipal Museum

Hours: 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Closed: Mondays (if a holiday, open and closed the next weekday instead); December 29 – January 3
Admission: Free^[3]

Checked: 2026-10-03

By car / parking

Odakeyabu and North Exit parking lots on the north side of the park (130 cars in total, free), plus about 10 free spaces in front of the museum. Odakeyabu has 5 tour-bus spaces (first come, first served; no reservations). On weekends and holidays the city office staff lot is also available. About 15–20 minutes from Takaoka IC on the Noetsu Expressway.^[4][10]

Checked: 2026-10-03

Grounds opening hours

Not confirmedChecked: 2026-10-03

Time neededEditors' estimate

Allow about 1.5–2 hours to walk around the moats and baileys and visit the museum.

Steps, slopes and footing

A flatland castle with large grounds. On the west of the honmaru there is a cliff about 15 m above the moat. Details on slopes and steps are not confirmed.^[8]

Wheelchairs and strollers

Wheelchairs can be borrowed at Sannomaru Chaya (the park information center). The park walking map marks multipurpose toilets and an elevator.^[9][15]Checked: 2026-10-03

Toilets and rest

Public and multipurpose toilets in the park (marked on the park walking map).^[15]

English signs / audio guide

Not confirmed

Seasons

In spring the park is a famous cherry blossom spot, listed among Japan's top 100. Autumn brings colored leaves and winter brings snow. The park is the main venue of the Takaoka Manyo Festival.^[6]

Photography

Not confirmed

Works, closures and restrictions

Under the 2026 Takaoka Kojo Park Landscape Renewal Project, trees around the zoo are scheduled to be pruned or cut (donations accepted October 7, 2026 – January 4, 2027). No information on closures was found.^[12]Checked: 2026-10-03

Around the castle

Garden

Zuiryuji Temple (National Treasure)

The family temple of Maeda Toshinaga. According to the museum, the third lord Toshitsune began building it ahead of Toshinaga's 33rd memorial, and a straight 870-meter path called Hatchomichi links it to Toshinaga's grave. 10 minutes' walk from Takaoka Station.^[13][1]

Checked: 2026-10-03

Editors' guide

An editorial guide based on sources and confirmed information — not a first-hand visit report.

Who will enjoy it

Best for people more interested in how a castle was laid out—its moats and earthworks—than in a keep. As a big waterside park in the middle of town, it also suits a stroll in cherry blossom or autumn leaf season.

What makes it interesting

Start with the sheer size of the moats, then look for carved marks on the stone walls of the earthen bridge between the honmaru and the ninomaru. Walking on across the bridges to the ninomaru, Kajimaru and sannomaru lets you feel how the baileys were laid out in a row. On the west side of the honmaru, note how high the cliff rises from the moat.

Before you go

No keep, turrets or gates survive; the attractions are the moats, baileys and stone walls. Part of the honmaru is now the grounds of Imizu Shrine. It is about a 15-minute walk from Takaoka Station.

Ways to enjoy it

Visit the free Takaoka Municipal Museum in the park first to get a picture of the castle plan, then walk the grounds. On the way back, continue to Zuiryuji Temple and the Hatchomichi path to trace the Takaoka of Toshinaga and Toshitsune together.

Photos

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Open questions

Tradition credits the castle's design to Takayama Ukon, but the museum notes that recent research suggests Toshinaga may have designed it himself.
The castle is usually said to have been abolished in 1615 under the one-castle-per-province order, but some date it to 1638.
That no keep was built is based on the museum's view that there probably was none.
Park hours, details on slopes and steps, English guidance and photo rules could not be confirmed.

Sources

1
富山県唯一の日本百名城・国指定史跡「高岡城跡」高岡市立博物館officialChecked: 2026-10-03
2
高岡城跡高岡市教育委員会文化財保護活用課municipalChecked: 2026-10-03
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高岡市立博物館トップページ(開館時間・休館日)高岡市立博物館officialChecked: 2026-10-03
4
交通アクセス高岡市立博物館officialChecked: 2026-10-03
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高岡城の遺構高岡市立博物館officialChecked: 2026-10-03
6
古城公園について高岡古城公園管理事務所officialChecked: 2026-10-03
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二の丸エリア石垣高岡古城公園管理事務所officialChecked: 2026-10-03
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本丸エリア高岡古城公園管理事務所officialChecked: 2026-10-03
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三の丸エリア民部の井戸・三の丸茶屋高岡古城公園管理事務所officialChecked: 2026-10-03
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アクセスマップ高岡古城公園管理事務所officialChecked: 2026-10-03
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日本100名城一覧公益財団法人日本城郭協会jokakuChecked: 2026-10-03
12
高岡古城公園景観再生プロジェクト2026高岡市景観みどり課municipalChecked: 2026-10-03
13
アクセス地図国宝高岡山瑞龍寺officialChecked: 2026-10-03
14
高岡の祖・前田利長略年譜高岡市立博物館officialChecked: 2026-10-03
15
古城公園散策マップ高岡古城公園管理事務所officialChecked: 2026-10-03
16
List of Japan's 100 Fine Castles and the Next 100公益財団法人日本城郭協会jokakuChecked: 2026-10-03
17
Wikipedia「高岡城」Wikipedia日本語版wikipediaChecked: 2026-10-03
18
Wikidata Q8011764WikidatawikidataChecked: 2026-10-03