🥷🏯 "Entering Iga Ueno Castle: Traveling Through the Sengoku Period in the Homeland of Ninjas, the Shadow Techniques Behind the Castle Walls Are More Real Than the Stories!"
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#IgaCity #Ninja #BashōOkiMemorialHall #IgaUenoCastle #UenoCastle
🏯 Iga Ueno Castle: Even before approaching, you can feel the "aesthetics of the Sengoku period warlords × the silence of the ninjas."
Upon arriving in Iga Ueno, what struck me first wasn't the castle itself, but the "ninja atmosphere" emanating from the entire city.
The streets are adorned with ninja paintings, life-size cardboard cutouts, symbols, coded messages, and even manhole covers feature ninja designs.
This isn't just cutesy pretense—
📌 This is the true hometown of ninjas: the birthplace of the Iga-ryu ninjutsu.
Further towards the castle, the height of the walls immediately caught my eye.
The stone walls of Iga Ueno Castle are among the tallest in Japan, exceeding 30 meters in height.
Just standing below and looking up, you can feel a sense of oppression—"Conquering this castle would be excruciatingly painful."
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🔥 Takatora Todo's Aesthetics: Not Building a Castle, But a "Masterpiece of the Sengoku Period"
Iga Ueno Castle was originally built during the Tensho era, but most of what we see today was rebuilt by the renowned general Takatora Todo in the early Edo period.
Takatora is widely recognized as a "castle-building genius" in Japanese history, having participated in the construction of over 20 castles.
A classic description of him circulating online is:
"Of all the famous castles in Japan, eight or nine out of ten were built by Takatora."
When Takatora rebuilt Iga Ueno Castle:
• Used extremely high stone walls, resulting in incredibly strong defenses.
• Created winding passageways that followed the terrain.
• Designed the castle tower to be both elegant and symbolically powerful.
But fate played a cruel trick—the magnificent castle tower was canceled before completion due to political changes.
What we see today is a wooden castle tower rebuilt in the Showa era based on historical records, but the Sengoku aesthetics are still clearly visible.
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🥷 Why did Iga become the home of ninjas? (History + Travel Experience)
The Iga region was an "autonomous dominion" in ancient times, geographically isolated and crisscrossed by mountains and forests, not entirely under the control of daimyo.
To protect themselves, farmers, samurai, and ronin gradually developed:
• Intelligence warfare
• Mountain warfare tactics
• Disguise and stealth techniques
• Use of gunpowder and tools
• Infiltration and sabotage techniques
This is the prototype of what later became known as the Iga-ryu ninja.
They weren't anime characters "jumping around in black," but real intelligence agents from the Sengoku period.
Therefore, the Iga region and the area around Ueno Castle have always been imbued with ninja culture.
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🏯✨ Stepping into Ueno Castle Keep: Every window seems to tell a story of Sengoku aesthetics
Although the keep isn't an original building, it's full of atmosphere.
The sound of footsteps on the wooden floorboards, the slightly aged scent of wood, the displayed weapons, armor, and swords—all instantly transport you back 400 years.
Looking out from the top floor of the castle tower:
• The entire castle town is visible.
• Layered mountains in the distance.
• A gentle breeze rustles through the cherry and pine trees.
At that moment, I understood that Takatora designed this place not just as a military stronghold, but as a stage "where the master could see the world."
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🥷🏛 Iga-ryu Ninja Museum: This is the true life of a ninja (right next to the castle).
A visit to Ueno Castle is incomplete without seeing the Iga-ryu Ninja Museum next door, which has received rave reviews online.
Inside it includes:
✔ Ninja Houses (with hidden doors and underground passages)
You can see for yourself:
• Hidden compartments in the floor
• Disguised mechanisms
• Quick escape tunnels
• Hidden weapon storage spaces
This isn't just an anime; it's real architectural ingenuity.
✔ Authentic ninja weapons on display
Shuriken, kusarigama, gunpowder tools, grappling hooks… each one is a product of the intelligence warfare of the Sengoku period.
✔ Ninja Performance Show
Ninjas will actually perform shurikenjutsu, swordsmanship, and wall-running techniques live, including actual combat moves.
The atmosphere is incredibly high-energy.
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🚶♂️🌸 Castle Town Stroll: A Gentle Journey from the Shadow of the Warring States Period to Modern Times
Outside the castle lies a tranquil town, preserving its old-world charm.
Available items include:
• Ninja-themed desserts
• Black ninja soft serve ice cream
• Ninja pancakes
• Shuriken-shaped charms
• Handmade weapon shops
• Old-fashioned street cafes
It's easy to lose track of time while strolling around.
The cherry blossoms in spring and the maple leaves in autumn reflecting off the white castle tower are breathtakingly beautiful.
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🌅 Conclusion: Iga Ueno Castle is not just an ordinary castle; it's an intersection of "Warring States Survival Wisdom × Ninja Culture × Military Aesthetics."
Other castles offer grandeur, history, and stories of warlords.
But Ueno Castle in Iga offers a breathtaking experience: the simultaneous convergence of three forces:
1. The shadow and wisdom of ninjas
2. The castle-building art of Takatora Todo
3. The overwhelming presence of Japan's highest-grade stone walls
A visit here is not just about touring a castle, but stepping into a living history of the Sengoku period.
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