In 1609, Maeda Toshinaga took advantage of the natural features of the Sekino plateau, digging huge moats, building earthworks and stone walls, and erecting this castle through a major construction effort.
Toshinaga died in 1614, and Takaoka Castle was decommissioned for use as a castle in 1615, when an edict was passed limiting each feudal domain to a single castle.
However, as part of the revival policy for former castle towns of the Kaga Domain, rice and salt storehouses were built where the castle once stood, with the moats and earthworks of the vast castle grounds left intact.

In 1870, the prefecture sold off the ruins of Takaoka Castle to the private sector and ordered their development, but preservation efforts by the local community led to the vast 210,000-square-meter grounds being officially designated as a park in 1875.
Even today, the former site of Takaoka Castle is beloved by locals, known as Kojo Park - literally,“old castle park.”

Yamacho-suji Street, which runs 600 m through Takaoka, was first established by Lord Maeda Toshinaga of the Kaga Domain in the early 17th century as a place for merchants to live.
The storehouse-style buildings seen there today were erected following the Great Fire of Takaoka in 1900: after the fire, the wealthy merchants of Yamacho-suji immediately rebuilt their homes in the storehouse style, which has excellent fire-resistant properties.
As a result, the street is lined with storehouse-style buildings featuring thick plastered exterior walls, brick fire walls to prevent fires from spreading, cast iron pillars with a decorative touch, and other functional fire safety measures with modern, Western designs.
This neighborhood is also home to the floats used in the Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival, which are ceremonial floats based on an imperial carriage presented by Toshinaga to the townspeople.

The Sugano Residence is regarded as a quintessential example of the beauty of storehouse-style architecture.
The exterior is finished with black plaster, considered the most technically difficult and most expensive finish, with the eaves and pillars featuring ornate decorations.
The interior features delicate, precise architecture reminiscent of a tea ceremony room, built using precious woods.

The former Takaoka Kyoritsu Bank headquarters was built in 1914, adopting a pseudo-Renaissance style overseen by the architect Kingo Tatsuno, who is perhaps best known for the design of Tokyo Station.
The bank has a stately presence, standing amid an old-fashioned townscape of storehouse-style architecture.

When Maeda Toshinaga established Takaoka as a castle town at the beginning of the 17th century, he provided residences to seven metal casters here, where they were to do their metal casting work.
Ever since, metal casting and the buildings associated with it, as well as the townscape itself, have been handed down from generation to generation here.
The homes consist of a main building facing the road, with a back courtyard leading to a storehouse, behind which there is a workshop.
The storehouses also serve as a fire wall to prevent fires from spreading, should one break out at a workshop.