Nanao Castle – An Introductory Video on One of the Top 100 Castles of Japan

This video, titled "Nanao Castle in ISHIKAWA, JAPAN / #34 of the Top 100 Castles of Japan｜4K" (【石川／日本100名城】七尾城／難攻不落の天宮 4K - Nanao castle in ISHIKAWA, JAPAN / The Top 100 Castles in Japan No.34 -), was uploaded by "channel WASABI."
Introduces the ruins of Nanao Castle, a mountain castle in Nanao, Ishikawa, in Japan's Koshinetsu region, in beautiful 4K quality!

Nanao Castle, one of the Top 100 Castles of Japan and a Nationally Designated Historic Site, is located at an elevation of 300m, overlooking Nanao Bay and the Noto Peninsula from the honmaru (inner citadel).
Nanao Castle was considered an impregnable fortress during its prime, and you can still see the stone walls where the major parts of the castle were previously located.

In this article, we'll introduce tourist information and travel tips for anyone planning to visit Nanao Castle.
The video introduces the breathtaking scenery of Nanao Castle, a vast area located on a mountain ridge in the forests of Japan.
For those who have studied or are interested in Japanese history, it paints a good picture of what the Sengoku Period (Japan's warring states period; around 1467 - 1615 AD) was like.

Exploring the History of Nanao Castle

Photo：Nanao Castle inner bailey ruins, Nanao, Ishikawa

Nanao Castle is a mountain castle with a "kuruwa" (castle wall) on each of the seven ridges: Matsuo, Takeo, Umeo, Kikuo, Kameo, Torao, Tatsuo.
There are still references that show it was also referred to as "Matsuo Castle," written both "松尾城" and "末尾城" (same pronunciation different kanji/spelling).
Nanao Castle was built in the first half of the 16th century as the residence of the Hatakeyama Clan, a Japanese samurai clan who governed the province of Noto.
It is a fortified castle that is said to be one of the Five Great Mountain Castles of Japan, and it fell after a roughly year-long battle with Uesugi Kenshin's forces.
After that, Oda Nobunaga appointed Maeda Toshiie as Lord of Noto giving him the castle, however, after Toshiie moved to Kanazawa Castle, Nanao Castle was abandoned.

Nanao Castle - Highlights and Tourist Information

Photo：The view from Nanao Castle, Nanao, Ishikawa

Nanao Castle is a large mountain castle.
Highlights of Nanao Castle include the many stone walls that remain in nearly the same condition they were in hundreds of years ago, as well as the scenery of Nanao Bay and the Noto Peninsula which can be seen from the top of the mountain.
The climbing route to reach Nanao Castle is covered with wood chips, but we recommended wearing shoes that are easy to walk in.
If you want to climb from the foot of the mountain, you can use the Nanao Castle Trailhead Parking Lot (七尾城登山口駐車場), or you can park your car in the parking lot of the Nanao Castle History Museum and purchase a Nanao Castle Seal Stamp or a memorial stamp of the Top 100 Castles of Japan before starting your hike.

At the Nanao Castle History Museum, visitors can explore exhibits such as excavated items related to Nanao Castle and reconstructions of Nanao Castle via computer generated architecture.
In addition, the Nationally Registered Cultural Property "Kaikokan" (the former Iida family residence), which is adjacent to the museum, is another tourist attraction worth checking out.

The time required to climb the mountain is about ~40 minutes from the parking lot of the Nanao Castle History Museum, following the formerly used road to the honmaru (inner citadel) ruins.
There is also a 150-minute course for those looking to really explore and conquer the vast grounds of Nanao Castle.

Photo：Nanao Station

If you visit Nanao Castle via public transportation, you can reach the Nanao Castle History Museum from "Nanao Station" on the JR Nanao Line by taking the city circuit bus "Marin-go" (まりん号) and getting off at "Joyama no Sato" (城山の里).
From there it's about a 60-minute walk.

The stone wall of the Sakurababa Bailey Ruins above Chodo-maru (a former weapon's warehouse) is shown at 0:40 in the video, and the stone wall of the Honmaru Ruins at 2:42 are some of the highlights of Nanao Castle.
There's also a shrine in the honmaru, and the scenery you can see from the Nanao Joyama Observatory, which is known to have been praised by Uesugi Kenshin, is shown at 3:52 in the video.

Summary of the Nanao Castle Ruins

This video, titled "Nanao Castle in ISHIKAWA, JAPAN / #34 of the Top 100 Castles of Japan｜4K," introduces Nanao Castle, a formerly impregnable mountain castle in Ishikawa Prefecture, in beautiful 4K.
Be sure to refer to this article and visit Nanao Castle if you're planning on traveling in Noto!

【TripAdvisor】Nanao Castle Ruins
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1021236-d1424256-Reviews-Nanao_Castle_Ruins-Nanao_Ishikawa_Prefecture_Hokuriku_Chubu.html