Japan Heritage story
Takaoka: the castle town that became a merchant town
加賀前田家ゆかりの町民文化が花咲くまち高岡
Takaoka was founded as a castle town in 1609 and lost its castle six years later. The townspeople rebuilt it on casting, lacquer and trade, and their streets and crafts are still here.
Key facts
- Theme
- Castles, Sea and waterside, Forests and timber, Festivals and rituals
- Era
- Edo
- Region
- Hokkaido, Chubu
- Official name in Japanese
- 加賀前田家ゆかりの町民文化が花咲くまち高岡
- Official subtitle in Japanese
- －人､技､心－
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 富山県（高岡市）
The story
In 1609 Maeda Toshinaga, lord of the powerful Kaga domain, built Takaoka Castle in about half a year and opened a new town around it. He died only five years later, his retainers left, and in 1615 the castle was abolished under the shogun's rule of one castle per province.
His half-brother and successor Maeda Toshitsune saved the town. He banned residents from moving away and turned Takaoka into a trading hub for rice, cotton, fertiliser and hemp cloth. The rice stores at Fushiki port became the largest of the domain, and Takaoka was called "the kitchen of Kaga".
What to see
- Kanaya-machi: the casting quarter, started when Toshinaga invited seven metal casters. Takaoka is still one of Japan's great bronze-casting towns.Google Maps 金屋町 高岡 (opens in a new tab)
- Zuiryuji: the grand Zen temple Toshitsune built in memory of Toshinaga, near Toshinaga's unusually large grave.Google Maps 瑞龍寺 高岡 (opens in a new tab)
- Takaoka Castle park: the moats and earthworks survived because the site was reused for rice and salt stores.Google Maps 高岡古城公園 (opens in a new tab)
- Amaharashi Coast: on a clear day the 3,000 m peaks of the Tateyama range rise across Toyama Bay.Google Maps 雨晴海岸 (opens in a new tab)
Plan the rest of your trip with the Toyama prefecture guide, or see castles elsewhere in Japan.
Good to know
- Takaoka lacquerware also began under Toshinaga, so look for it alongside the bronze in local shops.
- The Tateyama view from Amaharashi needs a clear day, so check the forecast and keep that stop flexible.
- Nearby Inami is a town of wood carvers, also in Toyama.
Questions travellers ask
Is there still a castle in Takaoka?
No keep remains, but the castle's moats and earthworks are kept as a park, almost as they were laid out.
What is Takaoka famous for?
Bronze casting, which started in Kanaya-machi in the early 1600s, and Takaoka lacquerware.
Where it comes from
More heritage stories from the same area
- Coal, steel and port: Hokkaido's northern industrial revolution
- Esashi: the herring town that outshone Edo
- Gyoda: the town of tabi storehouses
- Inami: a town-sized museum of woodcarving
- Kitamaebune: the merchant ships that made Japan's port towns rich
- Masuda: a medieval masterpiece of Japan
- Otaru, the heart of Hokkaido: a merchant city saved by its people
- Sacred land of salmon: 10,000 years on the Nemuro Strait
- The Kamikawa Ainu: living with the kamuy of Daisetsuzan
Local foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.