(1576-1606)

The Azuchi-Momoyama Period begins in 1573 and ends in 1600.

Takasaki Castle (former Wada Castle)

The area around Takasaki used to be called Wada, and Wada Yoshinobu constructed Wada Castle in the middle of Muromachi Period. He was later killed when Toyotomi Hideyoshi attacked Odawara.
At the battle when Hojo Ujinao was killed by Hideyoshi, Ii Naomasa and his cavalry contributed greatly. He was given one hundred and twenty thousand rice fields at the Minowa district. Then, he moved the castle to Wada (Takasaki Castle) which was a strategic hub of transportation. This is when the area was called Takasaki for the first time.

When Naomasa constructed the castle, he also developed the castle town. He built the old samurai residences around the moat, and set Renjyaku-cho near Ootemon, then made Ta-machi, Shinmachi, and Motomachi the north center of the town. He also constructed some big temples (such as Sekijoji Temple, Ryukoji Temple, Enyoji Temple and Ankokuji Temple) to protect the castle. Later, Kaji-cho, Konya-machi, Daiku-machi, Saya-cho (where craftsmen lived) and Shirogane-cho (related to swords ornaments) were expanded gradually.

Battle of Sekigahara

In 1600 after Toyoyomi Hideyoshi died, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who wanted to gain the hegemony, and Ishida Mitsunari, who wanted to succeed the Toyotomi family's authority, fought at Sekigahara in Mino. This is what they call the decisive battle and Ieysu was the winner.