This national historic site park is located in the heart of Takaoka City and is one of Japan's best moated parks. The park was built on the site of Takaoka Castle, which was built in 1609 by Toshinaga Maeda, the second head of the Maeda family of the Kaga domain, and the castle's stone walls still stand today. The vast site is surrounded by three water moats and is scattered with shrines, a museum, a zoo, restaurants, and other facilities. The park is also home to cherry blossoms and a variety of other trees, so visitors can enjoy the scenery in all four seasons.
Takaoka Castle covered an area of 71,261 tsubo (approximately 23 hectares), which included the Honmaru (main citadel), Ninomaru (second citadel), and Kajimaru. The Tokugawa Shogunate abolished the castle in 1615 in accordance with the "One Castle per Province" rule, but the water moats have been preserved almost entirely, with the inner moat surrounding the ruins of the Honmaru and the outer moat surrounding the inner moat.
Nearly 20 sculptures by leading Japanese sculptors are scattered throughout the park, cast using the best traditional craft techniques from Takaoka, the town of copperware. Other objects and poetry monuments are scattered throughout the park, making it a pleasant place to walk. Resting areas and benches are placed throughout the area to allow visitors to relax and the sightseeing boats that cruise along the water moats are also popular.
Highlights
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The park is a national historic site and is one of Japan's best moated parks.
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Visitors can enjoy the seasonal scenery on a sightseeing boat cruise of the moat.
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Various sculptors' works, art objects, and poem monuments can all be admired.
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Restrooms and resting areas are available throughout the park.
