竹田の城下町
竹田を歩くということは、400年以上前の人々の足跡をたどるということだ。旧城下町の配置は、岡藩（現在の竹田市）の初代藩主であった中川秀成（1570-1612）が構想した当初の計画からほとんど変わっていない。
竹田は丘の頂上を平らにして築かれた岡城の下に開発された。丘の上に最初に城が築かれたのは12世紀だが、1594年に中川家が藩政を執り始めると、自ら石造りの城を築き、竹田となる城下町の計画を始めた。中心部には商家が立ち並び、郊外の丘陵地帯には武士が住んでいた。
町並みの大まかな形だけでなく、中川家が竹田を治めていた頃の建物も数多く残っている。町の通りにはいくつかの1800年代の家屋、土蔵、その他の建物をみることができ、南端の武家屋敷通りには武家階級の住居が立ち並ぶ。その他、画家・田能村竹田（1777-1835）や作曲家・瀧廉太郎（1879-1903）の旧宅など、歴史的建造物も多い。
Taketa Castle Town
Walking through Taketa means following in the footsteps of the people who lived there more than 400 years ago. The layout of the former castle town is almost unchanged from the original plan imagined by Nakagawa Hideshige (1570–1612), the first lord of the Oka domain (modern-day Taketa).
The town developed below Oka Castle, a stronghold built on the flattened top of a hill. The first fortress on the hill was established in the twelfth century, but when the Nakagawa family began governing the domain in 1594, they constructed a stone castle of their own and began planning the castle town that would become Taketa. At its center were merchant houses, while samurai lived in the hilly outskirts.
In addition to the general shape of the town, many buildings have survived from the time when the Nakagawa family governed. Homes, storehouses, and other buildings from the 1800s line the streets, and fine residences built for the warrior class can be viewed along Bukeyashiki-dori (Samurai Residence Street) on the southern edge of town. Other noteworthy historic structures include the former homes of painter Tanomura Chikuden (1777–1835) and composer Taki Rentaro (1879–1903).
