Tagajō, Historical castle ruins in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
Tagajō is a coastal city in Miyagi Prefecture that occupies flat plains along the Pacific shore. The settlement centers around the remains of Taga Castle, which rise as the most visible landmark from the surrounding landscape.
Taga Castle was built in 729 as the provincial headquarters for governing the Mutsu region during Japan's early imperial era. A major tsunami in 869 swept across the area and buried the original settlement under layers of sand and earth.
The name comes from the old castle that once defined this place, and locals maintain this connection through seasonal festivals and site preservation. Walking through the town, you notice how the castle grounds remain central to community gatherings and how residents speak about the area's past.
The site is easy to navigate thanks to flat terrain and compact layout of main attractions around the castle grounds. Plan time to visit both the above-ground ruins and the archaeological museum if you want a complete picture of the location.
Excavations have uncovered remains of 8th-century buildings buried beneath the current ground level, revealing how ancient disasters transformed the landscape. These buried layers tell the story of how the site was repeatedly covered and then resettled over time.
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