Takeda Castle

Takeda Castle (竹田城, Takeda-jō) is a ruined castle in the city of Asago, in the northern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It is located north of Himeji, and north-west of Kyoto, and is situated some 353 metres above sea level It is regarded as one of Japan's Top 100 Castles, and often referred to locally as the "Machu Picchu of Japan".

History

Takeda Castle was built as Izushi Castle. It was constructed by Otagaki Mitsukage, a retainer of Yamana Sōzen, lord of the area, in 1441. Ohtagaki then became lord of the castle. It was conquered in 1577 by Hideyoshi Toyotomi during the Tajima Province campaign. It was then placed under the control of his younger brother, Hidenaga. Akamatsu Hirohide, the last lord of the castle, fought on the side of Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Even though served valiantly in the battle, he was accused of arson. He then committed seppuku and the castle was abandoned.

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Coordinates: 35°18′02″N 134°49′46″E / 35.3005°N 134.8294°E / 35.3005; 134.8294

Takeda

Takeda (武田氏, Takeda) is a Japanese family name. Throughout the course of the Sengoku period (16th century) of Japan, the famed Takeda clan of Kai province had many descendant branch families.

People

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu (in hispanicized spelling, Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmatʃu ˈpiktʃu]) or Machu Pikchu (Quechua machu old, old person, pikchu peak; mountain or prominence with a broad base which ends in sharp peaks, "old peak", pronunciation [ˈmɑtʃu ˈpixtʃu]) is a 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level. It is located in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province, Machupicchu District in Peru.

It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often mistakenly referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas" (a title more accurately applied to Vilcabamba), it is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization.

The Incas built the estate around 1450, but abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, it was not known to the Spanish during the colonial period and remained unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of what the structures originally looked like. By 1976, 30% of Machu Picchu had been restored; restoration continues today.

Kinosaki, Hyōgo

Kinosaki (城崎町, Kinosaki-chō) was a town in Kinosaki District, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.

Merger

On April 1, 2005, Kinosaki, along with the towns of Hidaka and Takeno (all from Kinosaki District), and the towns of Izushi and Tantō (both from Izushi District), was merged into the expanded city of Toyooka and no longer exists as an independent municipality.

As of 1 October 2010, the Kinosaki district of Toyooka has an estimated population of 3,778.

Onsen resort

Kinosaki is famous as a resort area, with onsen (Japanese hot springs). In 1913, the writer Shiga Naoya came to Kinosaki and stayed there for three weeks. Kinosaki provided inspiration for his short story, Kinosaki ni te or "In Kinosaki".

There are seven public onsen bath houses in Kinosaki Onsen. Tourists staying in most of the ryokans (Japanese traditional inns) in Kinosaki can receive a free pass to all seven. It is common for tourists staying in Kinosaki Onsen to walk around in yukata, this saves them having to change into their own clothes every time they use an onsen.

Castle

A castle (from Latin: castellum) is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble. This is distinct from a palace, which is not fortified; from a fortress, which was not always a residence for nobility; and from a fortified settlement, which was a public defence – though there are many similarities among these types of construction. Usage of the term has varied over time and has been applied to structures as diverse as hill forts and country houses. Over the approximately 900 years that castles were built, they took on a great many forms with many different features, although some, such as curtain walls and arrowslits, were commonplace.

A European innovation, castles originated in the 9th and 10th centuries, after the fall of the Carolingian Empire resulted in its territory being divided among individual lords and princes. These nobles built castles to control the area immediately surrounding them, and were both offensive and defensive structures; they provided a base from which raids could be launched as well as protection from enemies. Although their military origins are often emphasised in castle studies, the structures also served as centres of administration and symbols of power. Urban castles were used to control the local populace and important travel routes, and rural castles were often situated near features that were integral to life in the community, such as mills and fertile land.