The castle is also located so as to control bottleneck in the main route between the Sea of Japan and the Kantō region to the east.

Hideyoshi appointed the Hori Hideharu (1575-1606) as lord of Echigo, and he relocated from Kasugayama to Fukushima Castle in the port of Naoetsu.

Although Fukushima Castle was well-designed and was conveniently close to the port at Naoetsu, Tadateru found that it was too small for his forces, and was also subject to frequent flooding.

During this time period, the relations between the Tokugawa shogunate and Toyotomi Hideyori and his supporters based in Osaka were rapidly approaching open war.

The shogunate ordered Date Masamune (who was also Tadateru's father-in-law) to organise the construction and 13 daimyō houses to contribute manpower and resources.

Compared with its huge size, Takada Castle had a simple layout with only three yagura, and was mainly protected by just a combination of moats and clay wall.

After World War II, the central and surviving western half of the castle grounds became Takeda Park, which was planted with over 4000 sakura trees.