is a flatland-hilltop

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ruin located in

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Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...

. It was on a key route between the northern

Kanto Plain Kantō (Japanese) Kanto is a simplified spelling of , a Japanese word, only omitting the diacritics. In Japan Kantō may refer to: *Kantō Plain *Kantō region *Kantō-kai, organized crime group *Kanto (Pokémon), a geographical region in the ' ...

and Hachioji. The most recent structure was built in the 15th century by Ōishi Sadahisa and existed during the 16th-century

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of Japanese history. In 1546, the Hojo of

Odawara is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in the far western por ...

took control and in 1569 possession passed to the

Takeda is a Japanese family name.1990 Census Name Files

. Then Go-Hōjō clan expanded and improved the defences of the castle. After 1590, the castle was abandoned simultaneously with the arrival of

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

into the region, having outlived its purpose. The castle is now a ruin, with clear archeological evidence of the foundations of a number buildings and a dry moat. The castle name "Taki-no-jō", which literally means "waterfall castle", is due to a waterfall that exists on the eastern part of the castle grounds. The castle grounds now form a recreational park including walking paths, a children's play area and a baseball field. The park is called . file:Waterfall Castle Shrine.JPG, Shrine at the summit. Site of the honmaru main citadel file:Waterfall Castle Creek Waterfall.jpg, Creek and waterfall from which the castle was named.

Notes

References

* Papinot, E. (1910). "Historical and Geographical Dictionary of Japan." 1972 Printing. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo, . * On site descriptive signage. {{DEFAULTSORT:Taki-no-jo Castle Castles in Saitama Prefecture Former castles in Japan Ruined castles in Japan Go-Hōjō clan