A fortification was originally built on a nearby mountain (Mount Omatsu) in 1240 AD by
Akiba Shigenobu, but its details are not clear. In the
Muromachi period, the
Hosokawa clan was
shugo of
Bitchū Province, but ruled through local proxies.
Takahashi Muneyasu constructed a new castle at the current location on Mount Gagyū in 1331, though the design of this castle differed from the one that stands on the site now. Mount Gagyū is located north of the center of modern Takahashi, and is a long ridge with an elevation of approximately 430 meters, overlooking the
Takahashi River. The location is of strategic importance in controlling the north-south transportation route between the
Seto Inland Sea and the
San'in region on the
Sea of Japan, and the east-west transportation route between
Tsuyama in
Mimasaka Province and
Miyoshi in the center of the
Chūgoku region. In the early
Sengoku period, the Shō clan supplanted the Hosokawa and occupied Bitchū Matsuyama Castle in 1532, making it their stronghold in their campaign against the
Amago clan in
Izumo Province. By the mid-century, the
Mōri clan from
Aki Province had defeated the Amago while simultaneously supporting the Mimura clan against the Shō and the Ukita clans.
Mimura Iechika (1517–1566) captured Bitchū Matsuyama Castle from the Shō in 1561, but was soon assassinated by
Ukita Naoie in 1566. His son,
Mimura Motochika recaptured the castle in 1571 In 1600, following the
Battle of Sekigahara, the Mōri clan were deprived of Bitchū Province and were forced to cede the castle to
Tokugawa Ieyasu. He retained the castle as directly-ruled
tenryō territory and appointed Kobori Masatsugu as
daikan. His son, Kobori Masakazu is better known as
Kobori Enshū, the famed tea master and garden designer. In 1617, he was transferred to
Ōmi Province and Ikeda Nagayoshi of a cadet branch of the
Ikeda clan was appointed
daimyō of the newly created
Bitchū-Matsuyama Domain. After his son died without heir in 1641, the domain went to Mizunoya Katsutaka, who rebuilt the
tenshu,
yagura turrets and gates in addition to rebuilding the
castle town. The
tenshu was unusual in that it was only two stories tall and is smaller than a typical corner
yagura in many large castles, though a larger
tenshu along the lines of
Himeji Castle's would have been unnecessary as Bitchū Matsuyama Castle was located on a mountain, thus allowing a large field of vision. The
daimyō palace was constructed at the base of the mountain. The Mizunoya clan ruled until 1695. After passing through brief periods under
Andō clan and the
Ishikawa clan, the domain and castle were ruled by a cadet branch of the
Itakura clan for eight generations from 1744 to the
Meiji restoration in 1871. In the
Meiji period, the castle was partly destroyed, but the rest of it was abandoned and slowly fell into disrepair. In 1929, a citizens' group was established and restoration work was begun on the castle. Three structures were saved and still stand today: a short section of wall, the Nijū
yagura, and the
tenshu. == Current situation ==