Mt. Kasuga-yama春日山

Explore the ruins of Kasugayama Castle that still keeps the old agger and dry moat. A branch of the God of Kasuga-taisha Shrine of Nara is enshrined.

Mt. Kasuga-yama is located in the hill country of northwest Takada in the west part of Niigata. Kasugayama Castle was built there in the 14th century and by the middle of the 16th century it had become the residence of General Uesugi Kenshin, and known as the best castle in both reality and reputation. Using the castle as his base, Kenshin brought under his control almost all of the area in present-day Niigata, which was called Echigo in his time. The mountain castle was vast and its remnants, such as the forts and outer walls, are preserved almost perfectly.

At the bottom of the mountain is the Kasugayama-jo-ato Monogatari-kan, a museum where you can watch videos about the life of Kenshin and how the castle was at that time. Also, next to the museum is Kasugayama-jo-shiseki Hiroba, an open space at the ruins where you can experience the vastness of the castle.

Temples and shrines related to Kenshin are scattered in the area near Mt. Kasuga-yama, such as Rinsen-ji Temple which was built by Kenshin's grandfather and is where Kenshin studied and trained in military arts, Kasuga-jinja Shrine which enshrines the guardian god of the Uesugi Family, which was responsible for controlling Echigo, and Gochi-kokubun-ji Temple, said to have been restored by Kenshin. Kasugayama-jinja Shrine is located halfway up Mt. Kasuga-yama. It enshrines Kenshin, and the treasury within the precinct exhibits articles such as battle flags, and the battle weapons and armor left by Kenshin.

In addition, every year on the 4th Saturday and Sunday in August, the Kenshin-ko-matsuri Festival is held in order to pay honor to the great general's virtue. At the festival, many people enjoy the parade prior to battle and a reenactment of a war.