Kagoshima Castle

Kagoshima Castle, built in 1601 by Matsudaira Iehisa, leader of the Shimazu clan and first daimyō of the Satsuma Domain during the early Edo period, is notable for its small size and relatively poor quality as the main castle of one of the wealthiest domains in Japan. It is believed that the Shimazu clan feared giving the Tokugawa clan, with whom they were in opposition, an excuse to attack their territory by building a larger castle. The castle was destroyed in a fire in 1874, with only its moats and stone walls remaining as ruins. Only the Otemon Gate was reconstructed in 2018. Kagoshima Prefecture History and Art Center Reimeikan now occupies the site.