{"id":29090,"date":"2017-10-23T08:00:24","date_gmt":"2017-10-22T23:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=29090"},"modified":"2020-03-27T10:55:51","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T01:55:51","slug":"oita-taketa-castle-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/oita-taketa-castle-city\/","title":{"rendered":"A Stroll around Taketa Castle City in Oita"},"content":{"rendered":"
Sponsored by Tourism Oita<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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Ingrained\u00a0within the castle city of\u00a0<\/a>Taketa<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is a unique and complex history.<\/strong> Stories of hardship, creativity and triumph come together here, making Taketa\u00a0not only intriguing, but also inspiring.<\/div>\n
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Taketa<\/strong> is situated in Kyushu region<\/strong>, one hour\u2019s drive from Oita<\/strong> centre, and is known as the home of Oka Castle.<\/strong>\u00a0Although, there isn’t much left of Oka Castle unfortunately, its main buildings were torn down in 1874 during the Meiji Restoration<\/strong>. However, despite the\u00a0castle ruins<\/strong>\u00a0still being one of the main attractions, Taketa also has other alluring features. It was once a\u00a0former samurai residence<\/strong> area, and\u00a0home to both\u00a0Tanomura Chikuden<\/strong> – a famous Japanese painter, and one of Japan\u2019s most prominent composers –\u00a0Rentaro Taki.\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Ruins of Oka Castle<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In this article, I explore some of the main sights of Taketa, including\u00a0Oka Castle <\/strong>and the\u00a0former residences of Rentaro Taki<\/strong> and Tanomura Chikuden, <\/strong>which\u00a0are all\u00a0within walking distance of\u00a0each other.<\/div>\n
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Walking Routes around Taketa<\/h2>\n
Taketa is a small city,<\/strong>\u00a0home to around 23,000 people, and the centre is easy enough to explore by foot. I visited the city during a hot and humid summer’s day, but it wasn’t\u00a0too taxing because the centre is mainly flat – except for the gradual ascent to the castle.<\/div>\n
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About 100 meters from Bungotaketa Train Station<\/strong> is the Tourist Information Centre.<\/strong> To make life a little easier, pass by here to pick up a city map in your preferred language. The popular walking\u00a0routes<\/strong> are shown on various signs around the city but most of the signage is written in Japanese, so you may need to refer to\u00a0the Japanese names written (in smaller font) on your map.<\/div>\n
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I explored various places around\u00a0Routes A and B<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>, which took around 2 hours to complete – but I was alone, and in a bit of a rush! If you prefer, you can explore the city by bike. There are various rental options available, but a good option may be ‘up to 4 hours’ which costs 500 yen.<\/div>\n

The Ruins of Oka Castle (\u5ca1\u57ce\u962f)<\/h2>\n
First on my list was Oka Castle, which is the furthest attraction from the city. As it turns out, Oka Castle\u2019s life has been quite a dramatic one – even when you exclude the numerous residents that have lived\u00a0in it. It was built<\/strong> under the instruction of General Ogata<\/strong> in 1185, underwent extensive repairs and improvements in the 1300’s, became a battleground in 1536, had an extension in 1597 and then several centuries later, in 1874, all of the main buildings were torn down. Now all that\u2019s left at the top of the hill where it once stood, are some the stone ruins from the outer walls.<\/div>\n
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Old vs. New<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

But whilst it\u00a0may appear to be only a shell of its former self, the ruins of Oka Castle are worth exploring. The elevation offers some charming views across<\/strong>\u00a0Taketa.<\/strong> The areas around the ruins are maintained, but are not well-manicured like many of Japan\u2019s representative parks, castles<\/strong> and gardens.<\/strong>\u00a0In my opinion though, this rusticness is in keeping with what Oka Castle is all about.<\/div>\n
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\n<\/a>Admission\u00a0to Oka castle ruins costs 300 yen. <\/strong>With that, you also get\u00a0a small scroll\u00a0explaining its history in Japanese, as well as an optional translation if you need it.<\/div>\n
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Hirose Shrine (\u5e83\u702c\u795e\u793e)<\/h2>\n
Hirose Shrine<\/strong> can be found on the edge of the city, along the way to Oka castle. A short climb up some steps between moss-cladden walls, offers an impression of Taketa City<\/strong> and the Kuju Mountains<\/strong>.<\/div>\n
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The shrine itself is peaceful, and has the elements of a shinto shrine<\/strong> that one would expect: torii<\/strong> (gate), shimenawa <\/strong>\u00a0(spiritual enclosing rope), chozuya <\/strong>(purfication water) and\u00a0komainu (guards of the shrine) <\/strong>etc.\u00a0Admission to Hirose Shrine is free<\/strong> and you only need around 15 minutes to explore it.<\/div>\n
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The Christian Chapel (\u30ad\u30ea\u30b7\u30bf\u30f3\u6d1e\u7a9f\u793c\u62dd\u5802)<\/h2>\n
Taketa\u2019s famous Christian Chapel<\/a><\/strong> tells a\u00a0story of both sadness and triumph. Christianity was heavily persecuted under the Shoganate<\/strong> (from the late 1500’s), so many Christians had to keep their faith a secret. It was only during the Meiji<\/strong>\u00a0Restoration,<\/strong> some 300 years later, that Christians were granted\u00a0the right to legal existence. This church is said to have been a hiding place<\/strong> for Christians, giving them light during their darker days.<\/div>\n
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Bukeyashiki Street (\u6b66\u5bb6\u5c4b\u6577\u901a\u308a)<\/h2>\n

Bukeyashiki<\/strong>\u00a0means “samurai residence”,<\/strong> and\u00a0this street was once home to 13 of them.\u00a0Although the former residences are not open to the public, Taketa Soseikan <\/strong>(below)\u00a0has a collection of armour<\/strong> and\u00a0Hina dolls for public viewing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Taketa Soseikan<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Entrance to Bukeyashiki Street<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Chikuden’s Former Residence (\u65e7\u7af9\u7530\u8358)<\/h2>\n

Tanomura Chikuden <\/strong>who was\u00a0born in 1777, and died in 1835,\u00a0is most famous for his\u00a0<\/b>wistful depictions of nature. His\u00a0former Taketa residence\u00a0<\/strong>is now the only historical “bukeyashiki” still open to the public.\u00a0Admission to the museum<\/strong> costs 300 yen for adults and 200 yen for children.<\/p>\n

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Tributes to Rentaro Taki<\/h2>\n
\u00a0Rentaro Taki<\/strong> was actually born in Tokyo – in 1879. However, due to his father’s line of work he moved around Japan frequently, and hence he spent time living in Taketa. He was a talented pianist and<\/strong> composer,<\/strong> producing music\u00a0from a young age. Unfortunately though, he died at just 23 years of age. We are still\u00a0able to hear some of his\u00a0famous songs<\/strong> such as “the Moon Over the Ruined Castle<\/strong>” playing throughout Taekta; both on the Carillon Bells, as well as within the Rentaro Tunnel (\u5ec9\u592a\u90ce\u30c8\u30f3\u30cd\u30eb). His former residence has now been turned into a museum which displays some of his musical scores and photographs.\u00a0Admission to the museum<\/strong> costs 300 yen for adults and 200 yen for children.<\/div>\n
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The Carillon Bells in the Centre of Taketa Play Rentaro’s Songs<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Rentaro Tunnel<\/p><\/div>\n

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Inside Rentaro Tunnel<\/p><\/div>\n

Additional Information<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

For more information about Taketa, please contact the Taketa City Tourist Information Centre<\/a><\/em> or refer to information on the Taketa Tourism Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Access<\/h2>\n
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Entrance to Bungotaketa Station<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

By Car<\/h3>\n
From Oita Airport,<\/strong>\u00a0drive south on the Oita expressway via the toll road<\/strong> (cost: approx 1400 yen) towards Taketa\u00a0<\/strong>(in direction of Kitsuki<\/strong> and Oita)<\/strong>. Duration: approx 1 hour 45 mins. Distance: approx 110 km.<\/div>\n
From Oita, drive south via Route 56, Route 10 and then Route 57. Duration: approx: 60 mins. Distance: approx. 50 km.<\/div>\n
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By Public Transport<\/h3>\n
From Oita Airport,<\/strong> take the Airport Bus to Oita.<\/strong> Duration: approx. 60 mins. Cost: approx. 1600 yen.<\/div>\n
From Oita,<\/strong> take the JR Hohi Line<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a0Bungotaketa <\/strong>(in direction of\u00a0Aso). Duration: approx. 70 mins. Cost: approx. 1300 yen.<\/div>\n