Takatsuki Castle, Japanese castle in Takatsuki, Japan

Takatsuki Castle is a former Japanese fortress in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture, built on the site of an earlier fortification. Its inner and second enclosures together measured about 630 meters north to south and 510 meters east to west, surrounded by an inner moat. The central honmaru held a three-story keep, and the outer san-no-maru contained storehouses. The castle was demolished in the Meiji period; today the site holds schools, a baseball ground, the Takatsuki City History and Folklore Museum, and the Takatsuki Castle Ruins Park.

Near the end of the 10th century, around 990, Kondo Tadanori established the first fortification on this site. During the Sengoku period, the structure changed hands multiple times and was expanded into an important military stronghold.

The name Takatsuki connects to the story of early Christian mission in Japan, as the feudal lord Takayama Ukon openly practiced his faith here. The castle town became a place where European missionaries and local believers gathered, which was unusual for 16th-century Japan in this region.

The castle site is about ten minutes on foot from Takatsuki-shi Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line, and also about ten minutes from JR Takatsuki Station on the JR Kyoto Line. The western part of the former third enclosure is now a public park, Takatsuki Castle Ruins Park, while two schools and a baseball ground occupy much of the rest of the grounds.

In 1691, Dutch trader Engelbert Kaempfer noticed the white walls, which stood out clearly against the surrounding landscape. His records describe the pale facade as an unexpected sight on his journey through the region.