The Three Castle Keeps
1. The Castle of Sadatsugu Tsutsui
The first Iga Ueno Castle was built in this tableland by Sadatsugu Tsutsui in 1585.
The castle had a three layered castle keeps.
Stone Wall on the Tsutsui Castle Keep Side
Pictorial Diagram of the Three Layered Castle Keep
2. The Castle of Takatora Todo
A Statue of Takatora Todo
In August of 1608, Takatora Todo moved from his post in Iyo Province (the present Ehime prefecture) and began to rule Iga Province and a part of Ise Province.
Takatora, who was already a master at building castles, built a castle surrounded by a 30 meter high stone wall to confront Osaka castle, against Tsutsui’s castle that protected Osaka. The five layered castle keep was destroyed by a big rain storm in 1612, while under construction.
Shortly thereafter, the Toyotomi Clan was dissolved and Japan’s feudal government forbade building castles. That is why a new castle keep was not rebuilt in Iga, and a minister of the Daimyo was instated until the end of Edo period.
Pictorial Diagram of the Castle Town
3. The Present Castle Keep
The present castle keep was completed in October of 1935 with the private fortune of Katsu Kawasaki, a local political representative.
It was named “Iga Cultural and Industrial Castle”, which has three wooden layers in the larger castle keep and two layers in the smaller castle keep. It is also known as “Hakuho” castle, and is a familiar landmark to the citizens of Iga Ueno.
Katsu Kawasaki (1880 – 1949)
He was born in the present Ueno-kurumazaka-cho of Iga city, and graduated from Nihon Law School (the present Nihon University). He was first elected to the House of Representatives from Mie prefecture in 1915, and re-elected 11 times in the course of his career. He wrote books about Basho and Iga-yaki pottery. He also built “Haiseiden” in 1942, which honors Basho.
Katsu Kawasaki
The Basho Festival Held in Haiseiden on October 12.