Castles of Japan: castles by region and city

Goryōkaku

Star-shaped earthwork fort designed by Takeda Ayasaburō and completed in 1864; a Special Historic Site with moats, cherry trees and the reconstructed Hakodate Magistrate's Office. The adjacent tower gives a view of the star shape.

Nejō Castle Site

National Historic Site of the medieval Nanbu stronghold, with the lord's hall and outbuildings reconstructed on excavated foundations.

Hirosaki Castle and Park

Original 1810 keep, gates and turrets designated Important Cultural Properties, set in a park of moats and several thousand cherry trees.

Morioka Castle Site Park (Iwate Park)

The high granite walls of the Nanbu castle survive in a park in the city centre, noted for cherry blossom and autumn colour.

Sendai Castle ruins (Aoba Castle)

Stone walls on Aobayama, a reconstructed gate turret at the foot of the hill, with Masamune's equestrian statue and a view over the city; a National Historic Site.

Senshu Park (Kubota Castle site)

The hilltop site of the Satake castle, with moats, a reconstructed corner tower and gate, cherry trees and azaleas.

Kajo Park (Yamagata Castle)

The site of the Mogami castle, with moats, stone walls and reconstructed gates within its second bailey; an equestrian statue of Mogami Yoshiaki stands in the grounds. The castle was known as Kajo, the "castle in the mist".

Tsuruoka Park and Shonai Shrine

The moated site of Tsurugaoka Castle, planted with cherry trees; the shrine in the former inner bailey honours the Sakai lords. The Taihokan of 1915 and the Fujisawa Shuhei memorial museum stand in the park.

Matsugasaki Park (Yonezawa Castle site)

The former castle grounds, with moats, earthworks and statues of Kenshin and Yozan; the castle never had a large keep, reflecting the domain's reduced status.

Tsuruga-jo

Castle of the Aizu domain, officially Wakamatsu-jo; the reconstructed five-storey keep houses a museum and is the only one in Japan roofed with red glazed tiles. The grounds are a national historic site with some 1,000 cherry trees.

Mito Castle site

Earthen castle without a keep; dry moats, the Yakuimon gate and a reconstructed Otemon main gate survive in the Sannomaru school district.

Utsunomiya Castle Site Park

Partly reconstructed earthworks with two wooden turrets and a connecting wall.

Maebashi Castle site

Earthworks and fragments of the castle survive around the prefectural office and the old prefectural assembly building.

Kawagoe Castle Honmaru Goten

Part of the lord's palace of 1848, one of only two surviving honmaru palaces in Japan.

Imperial Palace

Residence of the emperor on the site of Edo Castle; the Nijubashi bridges and outer plaza are open to all, the inner grounds on guided tours.

Hachioji Castle ruins

Stone walls, a reconstructed bridge and gate and mountain-top fortifications of the Hojo castle, a National Historic Site.

Takiyama Castle ruins

Well-preserved earthwork castle of the sixteenth century above the Tama River, known for its cherry trees.

Toyama Castle Park

Moat and stone walls of the domain castle with a post-war keep housing the city history museum.

Takaoka Kojō Park

Site of Takaoka Castle with its moats largely intact, a National Historic Site and cherry-blossom spot.

Kanazawa Castle Park

Castle grounds with the original Ishikawa Gate and reconstructed turrets and long storehouse.

Fukui Castle Ruins

Moats and stone walls enclosing the prefectural office, with the rebuilt Yamazato-guchi gate.

Kōfu Castle (Maizuru Castle Park)

Stone walls of the early-modern castle next to the station, with a reconstructed Inari turret.

Matsumoto Castle

Original keep of the 1590s with a moon-viewing turret added in the Edo period; a National Treasure.

Gifu Castle

Reconstructed keep on the summit of Mount Kinka, reached by ropeway, with views over the Nōbi Plain.

Naegi Castle ruins

Stone walls built onto huge granite boulders above the Kiso River, seat of the small Naegi domain; a National Historic Site with wide views.

Sunpu Castle Park

Moats and walls of Ieyasu's castle with the reconstructed Tatsumi turret, Higashi-gomon gate and Momiji-yama garden.

Hamamatsu Castle

Ieyasu's castle of promotion, with rough-stacked stone walls of the late sixteenth century and a reconstructed keep.

Nagoya Castle

Keep with golden shachihoko on its roof, original corner turrets and the faithfully rebuilt Hommaru Palace.

Inuyama Castle

Original three-tiered keep above the Kiso River, a National Treasure with an outer balcony overlooking the river.

Tsu Castle ruins

Stone walls and moat of Tōdō Takatora's castle, now Oshiro Park, with a reconstructed corner turret.

Hikone Castle

Original keep of 1606–1607 with elaborate combinations of gables, plus the Tenbin turret and moat walls; a National Treasure.

Sawayama Castle ruins

Hilltop site of Ishida Mitsunari's castle, dismantled to build Hikone Castle.

Nijō Castle

Tokugawa residence with the Ninomaru Palace, its "nightingale" floors and Kanō-school screen paintings; site of the 1867 restoration of rule to the emperor.

Osaka Castle

Hideyoshi's castle, rebuilt by the Tokugawa; the 1931 keep houses a museum and stands above massive Edo-period stone walls and moats in a large park.

Himeji Castle

Japan's largest original castle complex, a National Treasure and World Heritage site, with a labyrinth of gates and white plastered walls.

Wakayama Castle

Reconstructed keep on Torafusu-yama with stone walls of several periods and the Momiji-dani garden; famous for cherry blossoms.

Tottori Castle ruins

Stone walls climbing Mount Kyūshō, with the rounded Tenkyū-maru bastion and a summit view over the city and sea.

Yonago Castle ruins

Extensive stone walls on Minatoyama, a National Historic Site with views across Nakaumi to Daisen and the Shimane peninsula.

Matsue Castle

Original keep of 1611 with black wooden cladding, four roof tiers over five floors and a basement; a National Treasure.

Tsuwano Castle ruins

Stone walls on the summit of Mount Reiki, reached by chairlift and a short walk, with a view over the valley; a National Historic Site.

Okayama Castle

Called U-jō, Crow Castle, for its black walls; the keep is a reconstruction, while the Tsukimi Turret survives from the early Edo period.

Hiroshima Castle

Called Carp Castle; the keep, destroyed in 1945, was rebuilt in 1958 inside the original moats.

Hagi Castle ruins

Stone walls and moats in Shizuki Park at the foot of the hill, part of the World Heritage castle-town component.

Iwakuni Castle

A reconstructed keep on Mount Shiroyama, reached by cable car, with a view over the bridge and the Inland Sea.

Tokushima Castle ruins

Stone walls of green schist on the hill in Tokushima Chūō Park, with a museum of the Hachisuka family.

Takamatsu Castle (Tamamo Park)

One of Japan's great sea castles, with seawater moats in which sea bream swim and two original turrets.

Marugame Castle

Original keep of 1660 above stone walls rising in tiers to about 60 metres; the keep and Ōte gates are Important Cultural Properties.

Matsuyama Castle

A hilltop castle with an original keep of 1854 and many original turrets and gates, reached by ropeway, chairlift or on foot.

Imabari Castle

A sea castle by Tōdō Takatora with seawater moats and a reconstructed keep, counted among Japan's three great water castles.

Kōchi Castle

An original keep of 1747 and the only surviving honmaru palace alongside a keep; many gates and turrets are Important Cultural Properties.

Fukuoka Castle ruins

Extensive stone walls, turrets and gates of the Kuroda castle in Maizuru Park, a national historic site that also contains the excavated Kōrokan remains.

Kokura Castle

A 1959 reconstruction of the Hosokawa keep, whose upper storey was wider than the one below it, on original stone walls, with a garden of the Ogasawara lords beside it.

Saga Castle History Museum

A large-scale wooden reconstruction of the 1838 Honmaru Palace, with long tatami corridors and exhibits on the Nabeshima and Meiji modernisation.

Karatsu Castle

A reconstructed keep on a headland between the bay and the river, nicknamed Maizuru Castle ('dancing crane') for the pine groves spreading like wings on either side.

Shimabara Castle

Reconstructed keep and turrets housing museums on Christian history and the Shimabara Rebellion.

Kumamoto Castle

Hilltop fortress with curving musha-gaeshi walls; the Uto Turret is an original structure and the keep houses a museum.

Funai Castle ruins

Moats, stone walls and reconstructed turrets of the Edo-period castle, surrounded by the prefectural and city offices.

Obi Castle

Castle site with massive stone walls, a rebuilt main gate of 1978, a mossy cedar grove and a museum of Itō family treasures.

Tsurumaru Castle ruins

Stone walls and moat of the Shimazu castle, with a reconstructed main gate, the Goromon; the walls still bear bullet marks from 1877.

Shuri Castle

Royal palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom with curving limestone walls and gates; the site is World Heritage, and the main hall destroyed by fire in 2019 is reconstructed to the design of the 1712 building.

Nago Castle Park

Hill of the old Nago gusuku, planted with thousands of Taiwan cherry trees that bloom deep pink in January.