Takata Castle Ruins Park

This urban park is located on the ruins of Takata Castle, which was built in 1614 as the residence of Matsudaira Tadateru, the sixth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Matsudaira Tadateru’s wife, Princess Iroha, was the daughter of Sendai “Date Masamune,” and Date Masamune was appointed by Ieyasu as the magistrate for castle construction and built this castle site.

The first 2,200 cherry trees were planted in 1909, and today approximately 4,000 cherry trees are in full bloom in the spring.
In 2012, it was selected by CNN as one of the world’s five most beautiful places to see cherry blossoms.

In summer, 16 hectares of the 19 hectares of the outer moat surrounding the ruins of the castle are filled with lotus blossoms, which are said to be the largest and most beautiful in the East.

In the early Meiji period (1868-1912), lotus plants were planted in the outer moat as a way to reconstruct the financial situation, and a lotus root cultivation project was carried out until 1962.
The “Joetsu Lotus Festival” is held when the lotus flowers are in bloom, attracting many spectators and photographers.

In winter, when snow falls, the “Takata Castle Snow Lantern Tour” is held, where the gentle light of snow lanterns envelops Takata Castle in winter.