Sanada Shrine

Sanada Shrine is located in the Ruins of Ueda Castle. It’s used to worship successive lords of Ueda castle, the Sanada clan, the Sengoku clan and the Matsudaira clan.

Foundation

Ueda castle was built by Sanada Masayuki who is famous for the strategies of war during the Age of Civil Wars. The Sengoku clan succeeded to the Sanada clans, developed Ueda Domain and rebuilt the Ueda Castle after it burnt down at the Battle of Sekigahara. After the Sengoku clan, Matsudaira clan took over as the feudal lords from the mid-Edo period to the Meiji period. Seven generations lasted for about 160 years. The Matsudaira clan is regarded as the ancestor of the Tokunaga Shogun Families and is called the Fujii-Matsudaira clan. The first feudal lord Matsudaira Tadaharu changed his name to Chuzan after his retirement. The Chuuzansya Shirne was established in Kyoto after his death. The Sanada Shirne originated from this Chuzansya Shirne.

Establishment of Matsudaira Shrine

After the Meiji Restoration, Ueda Domain was abolished. Feudal retainers or people of the Ueda Domain wanted to establish the shrine to worship the Matsudaira clan at the Ruins of Ueda Castle. Therefore, the Matsudaira Shrine was built and contributed to by Maruyama Heihachiro, the then owner of Ueda Castle’s main building in 1879.

Enshrining the successive lords of Ueda Domain together

After the World War 2, the Sanada clan and the Sengoku clan were enshrined together as guardians of Ueda Castle in 1953. The shrine was named Ueda Shrine, and changed its name to Sanada Shrine in 1963.
Sanada Well

Sanada Well

There was a single big well in Remains of Ueda Castle. It was said to have a tunnel leading to the north of the Ueda Castle, at the base of Mt. Taro and the house of the domain head person.

Nobushige Sanada armor

Nobushige Sanada armor

Some of Nobushige Sanada’s armor is in the shrine.

Access to Sanada Shrine

By train

It is located 17 minutes walk from JR Ueda Station,

By car

It is located 10 minutes by car from Ueda Sugadaira IC.

Parking

  • Ueda Castle Ruins North Parking- 5 minutes’ walk.
  • Ueda Castle Ruins Parking 10 minutes’ walk.