Takeda Castle

Takeda Castle (竹田城) is a ruined castle in the city of Asago, in the northern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It is located north of Himeji, and north-west of Kyoto, and is situated some 353 metres above sea level It is regarded as one of Japan's Top 100 Castles, and often referred to locally as the "Machu Picchu of Japan".

History
Takeda Castle was built as Izushi Castle. It was constructed by Otagaki Mitsukage, a retainer of Yamana Sōzen, lord of the area, in 1441. Ohtagaki then became lord of the castle. It was conquered in 1577 by Hideyoshi Toyotomi during the Tajima Province campaign. It was then placed under the control of his younger brother, Hidenaga. Akamatsu Hirohide, the last lord of the castle, fought on the side of Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Even though served valiantly in the battle, he was accused of arson. He then committed seppuku and the castle was abandoned.