Takeda Castle, famous as a castle in the sky, is located in Wadayamacho, Asago City, Hyogo Prefecture. It was built on the summit of Mt. Kojo (also known as Mt. Torafusa), which has an elevation of 353.7 meters and overlooks the Ritsuunkyo Gorge, known for its cherry blossoms to the east. In autumn, its appearance floating in the river mist of the Maruyama River flowing at the foot of the mountain is beautiful, and it is called “Castle in the Sky” or “Japan’s Machu Picchu.” It is said to have been built in 1443 by Yamano Sozen, the guardian of Tanba, who was also famous as the supreme commander of the Western Army during the “Onin War” of the Muromachi period. After that, it was inherited by Hidenaga, the younger brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and his vassals during the Azuchi-Momoyama period, but in the Edo period, it was abandoned in 1600 at the command of Tokugawa Ieyasu. It has been about 400 years since it was abandoned, but the stone walls are still in almost the same condition as when they were built. Usually, the stone walls of abandoned castles are often destroyed to prevent reconstruction, but for some reason, the stone walls of Takeda Castle have been preserved until modern times. The stone walls, which were stacked with natural stones with little processing, consist of stones of various sizes. The stone walls, which are said to have been stacked by the group of stone workers called “Anoushu” who stacked the stone walls of Takeda Castle with the craftsmanship of “listening to the voice of the stone and placing it where the stone wants to be,” still show a solemn appearance even after more than 400 years.

天空の城として有名な竹田城は兵庫県朝来市和田町にあります。東にサクラの名所として知られる立雲峡を望む標高353.7mの古城山（虎臥山）の山頂に築かれ、秋には麓を流れる円山川の川霧に浮かび上がる姿が美しく、「天空の城」とか「日本のマチュピチュ」と呼ばれます。室町時代、「応仁の乱」の西軍総大将としても名高い但馬守護の山名宗全によって1443年に築城されたと言われています。その後、安土桃山時代には豊臣秀吉の弟、秀長やその家臣によって受け継がれましたが、江戸時代になって、徳川家康の命で1600年に廃城になりました。廃城から約400年を経っていますが、石垣はほぼ築城時のままの状態で残っています。通常は廃城になった城の石垣は、再建を防ぐために石垣も壊されることが多いのですが、なぜか竹田城の石垣は現代まで残されることになりました。自然石をほとんど加工せずに積み上げられた石垣は、大小さまざまな大きさの石が組合わさっています。当時、竹田城の石垣を積んだとされる石工（いしく）集団「穴太衆（あのうしゅう）」の「石の声を聴き、石のいきたいところへ置け」という職人技で積まれた石垣は、400年以上たった今も荘厳な姿を見せてくれています。