A castle of unusual construction known as Japan's only "pit castle" (ana-jiro), where the main keep sits at a lower elevation than the castle town. Developed by Takeda Shingen during the Tenbun era as a base for his Shinano campaigns, later Sengoku Hidehisa completed the keep and third gate. Edo-period stone walls, the Third Gate (Important Cultural Property), and the main gate survive and the sit…

It is said that warrior clans established bases in the area of Komoro Castle as early as the late Heian period. Around 1553, Takeda Shingen developed the site as a strategic base for his Shinano campaigns, and the foundations of the present layout are believed to have been established by 1554. Yamam…