Hineno Takayoshi, a general of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, took control of the Suwa area of Shinano Province in 1590 and began building this castle in 1592. Completed six years later, Takashima-jō was often referred to as a "floating castle" as, at the time of its construction, it was set upon a small island in Suwa Lake that formed by redirecting several rivers. The donjon was torn down in 1875 following the Meiji Restoration, with the grounds converted to a public park. The current, somewhat fake-looking reconstruction was built from ferro-concrete in 1970.