, also known as Takahashi Castle, is a castle

Castle

A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...

 located in Takahashi

Takahashi, Okayama

is a city located in Okayama, Japan.As of April 30, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 34,119, with a household number of 13,990 and the density of 62.37 persons per km². The total area is 547.01 km².The city was founded on May 1, 1954....

, Okayama Prefecture

Okayama Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Okayama.- History :During the Meiji Restoration, the area of Okayama Prefecture was known as Bitchū Province, Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province.- Geography :...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It is not to be confused with Matsuyama Castle

Matsuyama Castle (Iyo)

is a flatland-mountain castle that was built in 1603 on Mount Katsuyama, whose height is 132 meters, in Matsuyama city in Ehime Prefecture . It is not to be confused with Bitchū Matsuyama Castle.- History :...

 in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture

Ehime Prefecture

is a prefecture in northwestern Shikoku, Japan. The capital is Matsuyama.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, Ehime prefecture was known as Iyo Province...

. Bitchū Matsuyama Castle is notable as the castle with the highest elevation above sea level in Japan.

History

The castle was originally built on a nearby mountain in 1240 AD by Akiba Shigenobu. Takahashi Muneyasu constructed a castle on the modern site on Mount Gagyū in 1331, though the design of this castle differed from the one that stands on the site now. This fortification

Fortification

Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...

 dates to 1683, when Mizunoya Sakyonosuke Katsumune built the castle that is on the site now. The tenshu was unusual in that it was only two stories tall, though a larger tenshu along the lines of Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle

When the han feudal system was abolished in 1871, Himeji Castle was put up for auction. The castle was purchased by a Himeji resident for 23 Japanese yen...

's would have been unnecessary as Bitchu Matsuyama Castle was located on a mountain, thus allowing a large field of vision. The lord's palace was constructed at the base of the mountain. Itakura Katsuyoshi became lord in 1744, and his descendants ruled the castle until the Meiji Restoration

Meiji Restoration

The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...

.
After the Edo Era had ended, the castle was partly destroyed, but the rest of it was abandoned and slowly fell into disrepair. In 1929, restoration work was begun on the castle. Three parts were saved and still stand today: a short section of wall, the Nijū yagura

Yagura

Yagura is the Japanese word for "tower" or "turret." The word is most often seen in reference to structures within Japanese castle compounds, but can be used in a variety of other situations as well. The bandstand tower erected for Bon Festival is often called a yagura, as are similar structures...

, and the tenshu.

Today

In recent years, parts of the castle have been reconstructed to augment the parts that remain, all of which have been named Important Cultural Properties

Important Cultural Properties of Japan

The term is often shortened into just are items officially already classified as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and judged to be of particular importance to the Japanese people....

by the National Government. It is also a popular place to visit because it is the only yamashiro, or mountain castle, to have an original tenshu. The castle is on a mountain and the road up to the summit does not go all the way, so to get to the castle, one must hike up a mountain path.

Literature

• http://library.thinkquest.org/C001119/tour/parse.php3?src=bitchu
• http://www.jcastle.info/castle/profile/23-Bitchu-Matsuyama-Castle