, also known as and , is a Japanese castle

Japanese castle

' were fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century...

 located in Iga

Iga, Mie

was a town located in Ayama District, Mie Prefecture, Japan.On November 1, 2004 Iga absorbed the old city of Ueno, the towns of Ayama, the villages of Ōyamada and Shimagahara, all from Ayama District, and the town of Aoyama, from Naga District, to become the new city of Iga.-Geography:Located on...

, Mie Prefecture

Mie Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province and Iga Province....

, 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...

.

History

Construction on Iga Ueno Castle began in 1585 by the command of Takigawa Katsutoshi. However, the honmaru, or innermost bailey, as well as the tenshu, or donjon, upon which the modern reconstruction was based were built by Katsutoshi's successor, Tsutsui Sadatsugu

Tsutsui Sadatsugu

was a cousin and adopted son of Tsutsui Junkei, a feudal lord of the Yamato province.At the death of Junkei in 1584, he was relocated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to Iga Province, where he built the Iga Ueno Castle. In 1608, however, he was removed from his position by the Tokugawa shogunate, in an...

. Sadatsugu was then succeeded by Tōdō Takatora

Todo Takatora

was a Japanese daimyo of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through Edo period. He rose from relatively humble origins as an ashigaru to become a daimyo...

. Takatora renovated the honmaru, giving it 30 meter (33 yard) high walls. This meant that the walls of the honmaru of Iga Ueno Castle were the tallest of any castle in Japan, a record that still holds. After the threat of rebellion passed, the castle was not seen as important as it once did. As a result, the tenshu was not re-built after it was destroyed by high winds in 1612.

Today

In 1935, the tenshu of Iga Ueno Castle was re-constructed out of wood. It houses a museum which holds a collection of artifacts relating to the area's history. Most other parts of the castle lie in ruins, though the towering honmaru walls still stand. The castle is now a National Historic Site and preserved in Ueno Park. Parts of the Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa

was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...

 movie Kagemusha

Kagemusha

is a 1980 film by Akira Kurosawa. The title is a term used for an impersonator. It is set in the Warring States era of Japanese history and tells the story of a lower-class criminal who is taught to impersonate a dying warlord in order to dissuade opposing lords from attacking the newly vulnerable...

were filmed at Iga Ueno Castle.

Immediately alongside the castle is the Iga-ryū Ninja Museum

Iga-ryu Ninja Museum

The located in Iga, Mie Prefecture, Japan, is a museum dedicated to the history of the ninja and ninjutsu. It is located near Iga Ueno Castle.The museum's collection includes ancient ninjutsu writings analyzed scientifically along with ancient ninjutsu weapons. The museum has audiovisuals, models...

which features a model village and a museum of ninja history and displays.