CastleFlatland castle (hirajiro)Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 29
What makes this castle distinctive
The residence where Takeda Shingen lived is now the grounds of a shrine where he is worshiped.
Why?
The Takeda residence, also called Tsutsujigasaki, was built in 1519 by Shingen's father Nobutora, and three generations—Nobutora, Shingen and Katsuyori—lived here for 63 years. In 1919, Takeda Shrine, dedicated to Shingen, was built on the site with donations from the people of Yamanashi. The moat crossed by the red shrine bridge and the ramparts and stone walls around the grounds are remnants of the residence.[1][3][4]
Around the Takeda Shrine grounds: at the front bridge and along the east and west moats.
What to look at
The water and dry moats forming a square around the grounds, and the ramparts and stone walls inside them.
Why it's interesting
The residence measured about 284 m east to west and 193 m north to south, divided into east, central and west enclosures. The rampart between the east and central enclosures, where the shrine now stands, was removed when the shrine was built, but the outer moats, ramparts and stone walls remain and let you feel the size of the residence.[3][4]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideFreely visible from the shrine grounds and surrounding streets.
02
The historic park east of the main gate
Where
East of the shrine, around the residence's original main entrance (Ote).
What to look at
The ramparts, stone alignments and traces of moats around the main entrance, laid out based on excavations.
Why it's interesting
Today's front entrance on the south side was created for the shrine; the residence's real main entrance was on the east. Kofu City has been restoring the site since 2007 and turned the area east of the main gate into a historic park. Excavations there also found a crescent-shaped moat (part of a round barbican, maru-umadashi) in front of the entrance.[1][9]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideOpen as a park to walk around freely.
03
The restored gateways of the west enclosure
Where
The south and north entrances of the west enclosure, on the west side of the shrine.
What to look at
The shape of the entrances (koguchi), boxed in by ramparts and stone walls so that attackers could not walk straight in.
Why it's interesting
Kofu City has restored the south and north gateways of the west enclosure to their historic form. These gateways are considered good examples of the features typical of Takeda castle design.[1][9]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideFreely visible.
At a glance for visitors
Nearest station
from JR Kofu Station, North Exit (by bus)
Climb
Not confirmed
Time neededEditors' estimate
About an hour for the shrine grounds and moats; about two hours if you add the Shingen Museum and the historic park east of the main gate.
Admission
Permanent exhibition room free. Special exhibition room: adults 300 yen (groups of 20+ 240 yen); free for high school students and younger and holders of a disability certificate.
Hours
9:00–17:00
Access
Open to visitors
The core of the site is the Takeda Shrine grounds, open to visitors as worshipers. The shrine's treasure hall and the Shingen Museum's special exhibition room charge admission. To enter the buildings of the former Hotta Kojoen, get a permit at the museum reception.
In 1519, Takeda Nobutora, governor of Kai, moved his residence from his previous base to the northern edge of the Kofu basin, on an alluvial fan formed by the Aikawa River. The next year he built Yogai Castle on the mountain to the north as a fortress to fall back on in an emergency. Retainers' houses, temples and shrines were gathered around the residence, and this was the beginning of the city of Kofu.[1][3][9]
02
Historical record
Home to three Takeda generations for 63 years
Three generations—Nobutora, Shingen and Katsuyori—lived here for 63 years. It began as a square residence with a single moat, but as Takeda power grew, more enclosures were added until it became one of the largest Sengoku-period residences in eastern Japan. The east enclosure is thought to have been used for government business and the central enclosure as the lord's living quarters.[1][3][9]
03
Tradition
"People are the castle"
Takeda Shingen ruled Kai from this residence rather than from a stone-walled castle. He is said to have written "People are the castle, people are the stone walls, people are the moat," and Kofu City suggests that he needed no great castle—a modest residence was enough. In practice, though, the residence was defended together with Yogai Castle to the north and other hill forts around the basin.[4][1]
04
Historical record
Katsuyori left, and the residence lost its role
In 1582, Shingen's son Katsuyori moved his base to the newly built Shinpu Castle in today's Nirasaki, but the Takeda clan was destroyed by Oda forces soon afterward. The Tokugawa and others went on using and altering the residence for a time, but once Kofu Castle was built, the center of government moved there.[9]
05
Historical record
Takeda Shrine rises on the site
In 1915, when Shingen was posthumously granted a court rank, people across Yamanashi began a movement to build a shrine to him. Public and private donations were collected, and in 1919 Takeda Shrine was completed on the residence site. The rampart between the east and central enclosures was removed at that time, and the south stone wall is said to have been opened up to create the front entrance. Even so, the outer moats, ramparts, stone walls and wells survive.[4][3][9]
06
Historical record
Ongoing restoration as a National Historic Site
The site was designated a National Historic Site in 1938. Kofu City has been buying up land within it bit by bit since 1970, and since 2007 has been restoring areas such as the historic park east of the main gate and the gateways of the west enclosure. In 2019, the Shingen Museum opened nearby to present the residence's history and excavated finds.[1][2][3]
The Shingen Museum (Takeda Residence History Museum) opens[2]
Buildings and remains
The keep today
Not yet confirmed
Under the Takeda it was a residence without a keep. Some accounts say a keep was built during alterations after the Takeda fell (not confirmed).
The site today
The east and central enclosures, the heart of the residence, are now the grounds of Takeda Shrine. The surrounding moats, ramparts and stone walls remain; the area east of the main gate is a historic park, and the gateways of the west enclosure have been restored. The Shingen Museum stands to the south. This was a Sengoku-period lord's residence, built on different lines from the keeps and high stone walls of Edo-period castles.
Main buildings
Lost
Residence buildings (main hall and others)
None survive. The halls of Takeda Shrine, founded in 1919, stand on the site.[4][5]
Key facts
Type
Castle
Setting
Flatland castle (hirajiro)built on flat ground, defended by moatsEditorial article
Period
Medieval (c.1185–1570s)Editorial article
Keep (tenshu)
Not yet confirmedwhether a keep existed is still being checkedEditorial article
Stone walls, Earthen ramparts, Moats, Fortified gateways (koguchi), Wells, Keep base (tenshudai), Baileys / enclosures (kuruwa)Editorial article
Designation
National Historic Site (Takeda Residence ruins) (1938)Editorial article
Selection
Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 29Japan Castle Foundation
Visiting
Access
Open to visitors
The core of the site is the Takeda Shrine grounds, open to visitors as worshipers. The shrine's treasure hall and the Shingen Museum's special exhibition room charge admission. To enter the buildings of the former Hotta Kojoen, get a permit at the museum reception.
JR Kofu Station, North Exit (by bus)JR Chuo Line, Minobu Line
Not confirmed
From the North Exit, take a Yamanashi Kotsu bus bound for Takeda Jinja or Sekisuiji (about 8 minutes). Kofu is about 1.5 hours from Shinjuku by the Azusa limited express.[6]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Hours and admission
Shingen Museum (Kofu City Takeda Residence History Museum)
Hours
9:00–17:00
Closed
Tuesdays (or the next day if Tuesday is a national holiday); occasional extra openings or closures
Admission
Permanent exhibition room free. Special exhibition room: adults 300 yen (groups of 20+ 240 yen); free for high school students and younger and holders of a disability certificate.[2]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Takeda Shrine Treasure Hall
Hours
9:30–16:00
Closed
Wednesdays (open on holidays, sometimes closing the next day instead); about a week over New Year
Admission
Adults 500 yen, elementary and junior high students 250 yen (revised April 29, 2025). Groups of 30+: 400 / 200 yen. Free for preschoolers.[7][8]
Checked: 2026-10-03
By car / parking
About 30 minutes from the Kofu-Showa IC on the Chuo Expressway. Takeda Shrine has free parking for worshipers (154 cars, 10 buses; 9:00–16:00). The Shingen Museum also has 4 free spaces.[6][2]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Grounds opening hours
Not confirmed (shrine grounds)Checked: 2026-10-03
Time neededEditors' estimate
About an hour for the shrine grounds and moats; about two hours if you add the Shingen Museum and the historic park east of the main gate.
Steps, slopes and footing
The site sits on an alluvial fan that rises gently north of Kofu Station. There are stone steps beyond the shrine bridge.[9]
Wheelchairs and strollers
Not confirmedChecked: 2026-10-03
Toilets and rest
Not confirmed
English signs / audio guide
Volunteer guides from the Shingen Museum are available by advance booking, including sign-language guiding. English guidance is not confirmed.[2]
Seasons
The grounds hold hundreds of kinds of trees donated from around the prefecture when the shrine was founded, giving seasonal scenery all year.[4]
Photography
Not confirmed
Works, closures and restrictions
Shingen Museum volunteer guides pause from July 20 to August 31 because of the heat. The shrine's treasure hall sometimes closes on substitute days after long holidays.[2][8]Checked: 2026-10-03
The ruins of the mountain fortress north of the residence that served as its fallback stronghold (National Historic Site), with stone-lined gateways, ramparts, and trenches. Sekisui-ji temple at its foot is said to be where Shingen was born.[1][4]
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 fans of the Takeda Shingen story and anyone curious about how a Sengoku warlord actually lived. There is no keep or tall stone wall, so it rewards people who enjoy picturing the old residence from its moats and ramparts.
What makes it interesting
After visiting the shrine, walk all the way around the grounds to see the moats and ramparts. Then go to the main-gate area on the east side to find where the residence's real front entrance was. Looking at the models and displays in the Shingen Museum first makes the layout easier to picture.
Before you go
The current front bridge and stone steps were made for the shrine; they were not the residence's main gate. The grounds are an active shrine, so follow shrine etiquette. The Shingen Museum closes on Tuesdays and the treasure hall on Wednesdays.
Ways to enjoy it
The shrine's treasure hall displays items linked to the Takeda family, and the Shingen Museum shows life in the residence through excavated finds. With more time, follow Kofu City's walking routes to Mount Yogai or to Shingen's grave and family temples to see how the Takeda town spread out around the residence.
Photos
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Open questions
Kofu City and Yamanashi Prefecture give 1938 as the year of National Historic Site designation (Wikipedia also mentions 1940).
"People are the castle..." is only said to be Shingen's verse; there is no reliable source.
How the residence was used after the Takeda fell, whether it had a keep, the date of the crescent moat at the main entrance, and the assessment of the west enclosure gateways come from supplementary sources such as Wikipedia.
Walking time from the station, accessibility, toilets, English information and photo rules in the shrine grounds could not be confirmed.
江戸村のとくぞう (Edomura no Tokuzo)CC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons
