Takatori: Home to the Honourable Castle and Herbal Medicines

Mt. Takatori is located in Nara Prefecture’s Takaichi County in the town of Takatori. Although it is only of modest height at 583.6 meters above sea level, the mountain’s summit is home to Takatori Castle, once one of the most prominent mountaintop castles in Japan.

Meanwhile, the agricultural area at the foot of the mountain is one where medicinal plants have long been cultivated, and in the castle town of Takatori, the culture surrounding these plants, one originating in the Asuka Period (538–710) has been handed down to this day; efforts are now being made to carry the medicinal plant traditions of the town into the future. Let’s now embark on a walking tour of the castle ruins and the town, looking back on a history that stretches back to the so-called Manyo Period (early 7th century–mid 8th century) and consider what the future may hold for this ancient place.

Stone Walls that Stretch 3.5km Around the MountaintopTakatori Castle was built in 1332 during what is known as the Northern and Southern Courts Period by Kunizumi Ochi, from the powerful regional Ochi clan, to guard Imogatoge, an important pass connecting Nara and Yoshino. The height difference between the summit and the foot of a mountain is known as the relative height; in terms of this measurement, and Takatori Castle boasts the largest relative height among all the mountain castles in Japan. 

The relative height of the summit from the ruins of Kuromon, the first gate of Takatori Castle, is as high as 370 meters. This is the reason why it is known as one of "Japan's Three Great Mountain Castles".

When the castle was initially built, it was a simple mountain castle. However, in the 16th century, Masatoshi Honda of the powerful Honda Clan took over the castle on the orders of Hidenaga Toyotomi and rebuilt it. As a result of his hiring of a first-class military strategist to adopt the latest construction methods, a modern and aesthetically pleasing castle emerged, with stone walls that total 3.5 kilometers in length, a large keep tower with a smaller accompanying tower, and 27 turrets. After the decline of the Honda clan, a feudal lord, Iemasa Uemura, took over the castle, and the Uemura clan ruled the area for 14 generations until 1869. The castle was abandoned in 1873 and the towers and other structures were gradually lost, but the stone mounds and walls still retain their original appearance.

“The forest is not the only attraction, of course. One of the characteristics of this mountain is its abundance of water. For example, there is a well called Nanatsu Ido (Seventh Well) at the castle site. This is something unique about Takatori Castle; it was rare to have a mountaintop castle to have its own well. The waters from here actually are the source of the Takatori River, which flows into the Yamato River and into Osaka Bay.”

Beyond the remains of the Kuromon Gate, a winding path along a ridge comes into view. This is the Nanamaguri, or the “Path of Seven Turns,” a switchback route that was designed to help repel invading enemies. Ahead of this is the steep slope known as Isshozaka. Due to its relative height, all paths up to the main keep were all steep; this one, however, is said to be the most difficult to climb. Isshozaka got its name after the fact that workers were rewarded with an extra issho, the old Japanese liquid measurement (that equals around 150 grams), of rice for their efforts hauling rocks up this especially arduous incline.

Discovering Rocks Repurposed from Asuka Period TombsThe highlight of the area as you traverse Isshozaka and through the Ninomon Gate is a curious stone carving called Saru-ishi (Monkey Stone). It stands at the junction of two paths—the main one that leads down to the old castle town and another that goes to Asuka, the ancient capital of Japan. It is believed that the Saru-ishi was made from stone carved in the Asuka Period and brought to this place during the construction of the castle walls. The pedestal on which it stands is also very likely to be the same stone used in an Asuka Period tomb.

After taking a look at the well by the Ninomon Gate, it is then onto the innermost part of the castle. A little beyond the gate is the Kunimiyagura, the site of a turret that afford superb views of the Three Mountains of Yamato and beyond; on a clear day, you can spot Mt. Rokko (Hyogo Prefecture) and Mt. Hiei (Kyoto Prefecture).

Then, appearing just past here is the Otemon—the Main Gate. We are now about to enter the old main keep.

“The highlight of the Honmaru (inner keep) is the elaborate masugata (oblong shape) design that was built to prevent the enemy from entering, and the high stone walls that were made from stones from the chambers of ancient tombs. Some of these repurposed rocks have been found to have a lime plaster still affixed to them, leading historians to posit they came from kiriishi (“cut stone”) that were used in kofun burial mounds.

Ancient Remedies Dating back to the Asuka PeriodThe Honda Clan was responsible for more than just a remarkable castle; at the foot of the mountain, they established a settlment that soon became a major fortified town. It is now known as the town of Takatori and since the Asuka Period, the area it is situated in has been known for its medicinal plants. In the Nihon Shoki, it is written that Emperor Suiko accompanied Prince Shotoku to Takatori in the 20th year of Suiko (612) to look for medicinal plants.

In those days, the men would hunt deer for the medicinal properties of their antlers while women would pick mountain plants such as calamus palm or mugwort. Since the area was so rich in plants and animals that could be used for medicinal purposes, the “hunting” of medicinal plants was held as an Imperial court event; Takatori soon became famous as one of Japan’s leading producers of medicines based on the medicinal plants that grow here.

The Takatori Medicine Museum is where you can view tools from the days when medicines were made by hand and the medicines that were once manufactured in this town. Exhibits include a wicker trunk, indispensable for the peddling of medicines, and old account books give us a glimpse into the history of the pharmaceutical industry that has long been nurtured in Takatori. The retro-style packaging is quite eye-catching; the printing industry evolved considerably in tandem with an increase in demand for attractive medicine packaging.

Revitalizing a Town Through the Power of Japanese Angelica

Fast-forwarding to the present day, there is a movement underway to connect the high-quality medicinal plants that grow naturally in the area to future generations. Pony-no-sato Farm is an agricultural production corporation that is trying to promote the “sixth Sector industrialization” in agriculture using Yamato toki (Japanese angelica, also known as Japanese Dong Quai), a traditional medicinal plant. A member of the parsley family, Yamato toki is native to Nara Prefecture and highly valued as a herbal remedy, its roots in particular used in the treatment of gynecological conditions. In 2012, Nara Prefecture launched a project to promote Kampo (traditional Chinese medicine), which has led to a renewed interest in herbal treatments.

“We were considering how we could promote Nara’s unique herbal medicines, and in the end, we singled out Yamato toki. In 2013, we set about cultivating it here with the support of the local government,” explains Masahide Hoshina, General Manager of Pony-no-sato Farm.