The castle, built under the direction of Sanada Masayuki in 1583, was known as impenetrable after defeating the Tokugawa army in the first and second battles of Ueda. After the battle of Sekigahara, it was demolished, but Sengoku Tadamasa, the lord after Sanada, restored the castle. Matsudaira inherited it afterwards, then, the Meiji Restoration came to pass.
Today, the ruin is surrounded by cherry and zelkova trees in a green park. In spring, there is Ueda Castle Cherry Festival and in fall, Ueda Castle Fall Color Festival. In 2009, the animation ”Summer Wars” featured this castle as the gate of the heroine’s home. Now, many anime fans visit here.
You can look inside Ueda Castle’s south and north towers, ”Sanada Rock”, the historical stone wall of Sanada Masayuki, and the memorial hall for Akamatsu Kosaburo, the military strategist during the end of the samurai era. Ueda City Museum with the armors of the castle lords can be intriguing to see.
Highlights
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The castle built under the direction of Sanada Masayuki, known as impenetrable.
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You can look inside the south and north towers or Sanada Rock, the historical stone wall.
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Famous as the castle featured in the animation Summer Wars.
