Takaoka is the second largest city in Toyama Prefecture. During the Warring States period (1467–1568), Takaoka was home to Takaoka Castle, built by the Maeda family of the Kaga clan. When Maeda Toshinaga, the second in the Maeda family to rule over the area, invited metalworkers from nearby villages to congregate in the town, it was the beginning of a casting industry that caused Takaoka to prosper as a…