[Takamatsu Castle Town] (Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, former province name: Sanuki)

A strategic point on the Seto Inland Sea route, Sanuki Province (present-day Kagawa Prefecture) has long served as a connection to Sanyo and Kinai. The eastern Sanuki Plain, in particular, is protected from wind and waves by the Aji Peninsula to the east and the islands to the north and west, making it ideal for a natural harbor. It's no coincidence that Yashima served as a major base for the Taira clan during the Jisho-Juei War. In the Middle Ages, the Muromachi shogunate's Kanrei (regent) Hosokawa clan used it as a bridgehead for their conquest of Shikoku. However, as the clan's decline grew, smaller clans began to run rampant, causing great unrest within the country. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi pacified the country, the Ikoma clan, his trusted general, finally took control of Sanuki Province, bringing stability to the country. The clan's founder, Chikamasa (1526-1603), explored extensively for a base of control within the province, but ultimately decided on a coastal area near Yashima. He began construction of a castle and the development of a castle town. This marked the beginning of modern-day Takamatsu.

Chikamasa constructed the magnificent Takamatsu Castle (photos 2-5), drawing in water from the Seto Inland Sea, and also seized control of the port. The Ikoma clan was later stripped of its lands due to family disputes, but the strategic location they left behind attracted the attention of the shogunate. Consequently, in 1642, Matsudaira Yorishige (1622-1695) was appointed to the domain, splitting from the Mito clan, one of the three main branches of the Tokugawa family. Yorishige was the eldest son of Yorifusa (1603-1661), the first lord of the Mito domain, and the older brother of the famous Mitsukuni (1628-1701). Due to his mother's social status, he was never able to inherit the Mito domain. However, his exceptional talent earned him great expectations as a pillar of the Tokugawa clan, and he was said to have been particularly close to the third shogun, Iemitsu (1604-1651), to the point that they would bathe together. From Yorishige onward, the Takamatsu domain also played a key role in keeping a close eye on the movements of the western domains, and its lord was often involved in key roles within the shogunate.

Takamatsu Castle connects to the Seto Inland Sea on the north side, so the castle town expanded south of the castle. As logistics and trade via the sea route flourished, many merchants and townspeople settled in the castle town. From the mid-Edo period onward, the products known as the "Sanuki Sanpaku" (sugar, salt, and cotton) supported the domain's finances, further stimulating the activities of townspeople. However, by the end of the Edo period, the Takamatsu domain found itself in an extremely delicate position. Although the Takamatsu Domain was a branch of the Mito Domain, a domain with a strong pro-imperial ideology, relations between the two domains deteriorated due to various circumstances. The domain even sided with Ii Naosuke (1815-1860), leading to the downfall of the Mito Domain, and became embroiled in a chaotic political situation. The Meiji government viewed the domain as a pro-shogunate leader in the western part of the country and punished it, resulting in a less than peaceful end.

However, even after the collapse of the domain's government, the vitality of the castle town remained strong. In particular, Marugame-cho (Photos 1, 6-8), established during the Ikoma clan era by people who moved from Marugame, the largest city in western Sanuki, remains a central part of the city to this day. Like other regional cities, Takamatsu's downtown area once declined due to the expansion of large commercial facilities in the suburbs. However, Marugame-cho is widely recognized as a success story, overcoming adversity with unique ideas. In other words, while small businesses were concentrated in the area due to fragmented land ownership stemming from the former castle town, ownership and usage rights were deliberately separated. By relinquishing only usage rights, landowners were able to provide land more easily, making it possible to carry out a large-scale, bold redevelopment project that could rival suburban outlet malls. The development involved covering the approximately 500-meter shopping street with an arcade, ensuring convenience by providing protection from wind and rain, while also successfully creating a sense of spatial solidarity and conceptual design. The addition of corridors in the air and green spaces and public gathering areas on the ground level enhanced the area's value as a residential environment, achieving a remarkable regional revitalization. A stroll through the town reveals a row of individual stores with sharp, sophisticated designs based on a unified color scheme. The shining dome, a sort of symbol, at the end of the vertically expanding space, evokes a European city. This excellent design has been applied to Kitahama Alley along the city's coast (photos 9 and 10), as well as the diverse and unique character of the islands that attract tourists from around the world as venues for the Setouchi Triennale.

Recommended for Solo Travelers: ★★★ (There are a fair number of people, but it's a spacious area so it's not a problem.)

Visited: Around 7 PM on a weekday in the third week of January

Access: Approximately a 3-minute walk from Takamatsu-Chikko Station (to Takamatsu Castle Ruins)

*Some of the photos in this post were borrowed from a friend.

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Post by hanakin_kozakura | Sep 2, 2025