Taga Castle

Taga Castle (多賀城, Taga-jō) was a jōsaku-style Japanese castle built in the late Nara period in what is now part of the city of Tagajō in Miyagi prefecture in the Tōhoku region of far northern Honshu, Japan. Bashō tells of his visit to the site in Oku no Hosomichi. The ruins of Taga-jō and its former temple have been designated a Special Historic Site (特別史跡) since 1922.

In the Nara period, after the establishment of a centralized government under the Ritsuryō system, the imperial court sent a number of military expeditions to what is now the Tōhoku region of northern Japan to bring the local Emishi tribes under its control. In what is now Miyagi Prefecture, a civil administration was established in the form of a provincial capital and regional administrative centers in the late 6th century; however, a massive Emishi uprising occurred in 709 AD during which time many of these structures were destroyed. Per the Shoku Nihongi, following a huge earthquake in the year 715 AD, a large number of people migrated to this area from the southern Kantō region, forming numerous fortified settlements in the hinterland.

An inscription on a monument found at the site of Taga Castle gives a foundation date of 724 AD and states that it was constructed by Azumabito Ono as the provisional provincial capital of Mutsu Province. Along with Akita Castle and Okachi Fort in Dewa Province, it was one of the main bases for the Yamato re-expansion into northern Honshu. Its commander was titled Chinjufu-shōgun (鎮守府) and was the northern equivalent to the commander of Dazaifu (太宰府) in Kyushu. The castle was significantly renovated by Fujiwara Asakari in 762 AD.

Taga Castle was rebuilt after being sacked and burned by the Emishi in 780 AD. From 802 AD, the frontier between Yamato and Emishi territories shifted further north due to the successful campaigns of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, and with the construction of Isawa Castle, Taga Castle gradually lost importance. It was retained as a center for administrative functions, but most military activities were transferred to various northern strongholds. It was badly damaged by the Jōgan tsunami of 869.

Text adapted from “Taga Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Taga Castle ranks #928 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #45 of the 297 mapped in Japan. Founded 724, it is older than 96% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 39 atlas entries founded in the 8th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 8,528 times in the last 60 days, more than 91% of the atlas. 1 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. See how Japan compares in the castle statistics.

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