To the 16 km south-east of Tojinbo, Maruoka castle or Kasumi-ga-jo, whose keep (Tenshu) is believed to be the oldest of the remaining keeps in Japan (built in 1576), stands on the hill located on the east of Maruoka city. Although the scale of the Maruoka castle may not …
The castle of Akechi Mitsuhide Fukuchiyama-shi is a city in Tamba, located in the southern part of Kyoto Prefecture, with a population of 80,000 people. In olden days, it flourished as the strategic meeting point between Kyoto and the San’in region in Japan. Items proving that the place was inhabited …
Matsumoto castle, Matsumoto-shi, Nagano Matsumoto castle is one of Japan’s oldest existing castle, and it is designated as a national treasure along with Hikone Castle, Himeji Castle and Inuyama Castle. It was built by Kazumasa Ishikawa and his son Yasunaga in 1590. Because of the elegant black colored roof, …
Matsumae Castle, Snowbound Matsumae city lies at the tip of the Oshima Peninsula, roughly 100 kilometers west of Hakodate in southern Hokkaido. During the Edo period Matsumae throve as a port on the so-called North-Bound Shipping Route (kitamaebune) that carried herring, salmon, kombu seaweed, and other fruits of the …
White Egret Castle Himeji Castle is also known by the name “Shirasagi(white egret) Castle (白鷺城) “. While it is said that the castle was named after its beautiful form resembling the egret with its wings spread, other theories behind its naming include the attempt to distinguish it from Okayama Castle, …
Nijo-jo (Nijo Castle) is a castle located in the central Kyoto and it is one of the most important castles in Japan. It was constructed in 1603 as the residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu when he was in Kyoto. The castle consists of two rings of fortifications, the Ninomaru Palace, the …
Kumamoto Castle Impregnable castle One of the most beautiful and impressive castle in Japan, Kumamoto castle was built in 1607 by Kiyomasa Kato. It took seven years to construct. Kiyomasa Kato was a daimyo of the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo period, and was known as an excellent architect of castles and …
