Castles in Japan | Hey Japan!

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Japan's castles are among its most striking landmarks, built during the feudal era as fortresses and seats of power. A handful of original keeps survive today, alongside faithful reconstructions set in beautiful grounds.

What are the most famous castles in Japan?

Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the finest surviving original castle. Matsumoto Castle is famed for its black exterior, while Nagoya Castle and Kumamoto Castle are grand reconstructions.

How many original castles are left in Japan?

Only twelve castles keep their original wooden keep (tenshu); the rest were lost to fire, war, or demolition and later rebuilt. Himeji and Matsumoto are the best known of the twelve originals.

When is the best time to visit Japanese castles?

Spring, when cherry blossoms frame the keeps, and autumn, for the foliage, are the most scenic. Many castles also hold seasonal illuminations and festivals.

Expo & Convention

Shiro EXPO

Shiro EXPO is Japan's largest annual castle festival, with specialist talks, regional performances and booths representing castles nationwide.

19–20 Dec 2026Yokohama · Kanagawa

Castle

Tsutsujigasaki Castle

The site of the Takeda clan's residence in Kofu, home to Takeda Nobutora, Shingen and Katsuyori, where Takeda Shrine now stands.

Kofu · Yamanashi

Festival

Himeji Castle Festival

Three-day festival featuring outdoor Noh theatre performances, classical arts, historical pageantry, and family activities across Himeji Castle grounds.

22–24 May 2027Exact date not confirmed yetHimeji · Hyogo

Castle

Inuyama Castle

A castle above the Kiso River whose keep, a National Treasure, is the only building left standing and was privately owned until 2004.

Inuyama · Aichi

Castle

Matsumoto Castle

A National Treasure castle in Matsumoto whose keep, from 1593 and 1594, is the oldest surviving keep with five tiers and six floors inside.

Matsumoto · Nagano

Historic Site

Taga Castle Ruins

Site of the provincial government of ancient Mutsu, founded in 724, with a rebuilt South Gate and the Taga Castle Stele, a National Treasure.

Tagajo · Miyagi

Castle

Aya Castle

Reconstructed hilltop castle in Aya, Miyazaki, on the site of a castle first built in the 1330s, with a museum of local history and swords by Tanaka Kunihiro.

Aya · Miyazaki

Castle

Echizen Ono Castle

A hilltop castle in Ono built by Kanamori Nagachika from 1576, with stone walls of unworked stone and a keep rebuilt in 1968.

Ono · Fukui

Historic Site

Nemuro Peninsula Chashi Site

Ainu chashi earthworks on the sea cliffs of the Nemuro Peninsula, dated to around the 16th to 18th centuries and No. 1 of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan.

Nemuro · Hokkaido

Castle

Takeda Castle Ruins

Stone walls of a mountain castle abandoned in 1600, on a 353-metre summit, known as the castle in the sky when a sea of clouds forms below it.

Asago · Hyogo

Castle

Ne Castle

Site of a castle built in 1334 for the Southern Court and held by the Nejo Nanbu clan for about 300 years, with its main bailey rebuilt on excavated remains.

Hachinohe · Aomori

Castle

Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle

Also called Tsuruga Castle, the seat of the Aizu Domain held out for a month in the 1868 Boshin War; its rebuilt red-tiled keep houses a museum.

Aizuwakamatsu · Fukushima

Castle

Remains of Kawagoe Castle

Site of a castle first built in 1457 in Kawagoe, where part of the Honmaru Goten, the palace the domain lords built in 1848, still stands.

Kawagoe · Saitama

Castle

Mito Castle Ruins

Earthwork remains of the Mito Domain's castle, with dry moats and ramparts, a rebuilt main gate and corner turret, and the Kodokan on the outer bailey.

Mito · Ibaraki

Castle

Saga Castle

Originally built in the late sixteenth century to control highway crossroads, Saga Castle served as the Saga Domain's residence and was reconstructed in 1989.

Saga

Castle

Hiroshima Castle

Castle built by Mori Terumoto from 1589 on the Ota River delta. Its keep, rebuilt after the 1945 atomic bombing, closed in 2026; the grounds stay open.

Hiroshima

Castle

Kanazawa Castle

Seat of the Maeda lords of the Kaga domain, where the Ishikawa-mon gate of 1788 stands beside turrets rebuilt in wood since 2001.

Kanazawa · Ishikawa

Castle

Wakayama Castle

Castle founded in 1585 by Toyotomi Hidenaga and later the seat of the Kishu Tokugawa family, with a keep rebuilt in 1958 and the Nishinomaru Garden.

Wakayama

What are the most famous castles in Japan?

How many original castles are left in Japan?

Only twelve castles keep their original wooden keep (tenshu); the rest were lost to fire, war, or demolition and later rebuilt. Himeji and Matsumoto are the best known of the twelve originals.

When is the best time to visit Japanese castles?

Spring, when cherry blossoms frame the keeps, and autumn, for the foliage, are the most scenic. Many castles also hold seasonal illuminations and festivals.

Expo & Convention

Shiro EXPO

Shiro EXPO is Japan's largest annual castle festival, with specialist talks, regional performances and booths representing castles nationwide.

19–20 Dec 2026Yokohama · Kanagawa

Castle

Tsutsujigasaki Castle

The site of the Takeda clan's residence in Kofu, home to Takeda Nobutora, Shingen and Katsuyori, where Takeda Shrine now stands.

Kofu · Yamanashi

Festival

Himeji Castle Festival

Three-day festival featuring outdoor Noh theatre performances, classical arts, historical pageantry, and family activities across Himeji Castle grounds.

22–24 May 2027Exact date not confirmed yetHimeji · Hyogo

Castle

Inuyama Castle

A castle above the Kiso River whose keep, a National Treasure, is the only building left standing and was privately owned until 2004.

Inuyama · Aichi

Castle

Matsumoto Castle

A National Treasure castle in Matsumoto whose keep, from 1593 and 1594, is the oldest surviving keep with five tiers and six floors inside.

Matsumoto · Nagano

Historic Site

Taga Castle Ruins

Site of the provincial government of ancient Mutsu, founded in 724, with a rebuilt South Gate and the Taga Castle Stele, a National Treasure.

Tagajo · Miyagi

Castle

Aya Castle

Reconstructed hilltop castle in Aya, Miyazaki, on the site of a castle first built in the 1330s, with a museum of local history and swords by Tanaka Kunihiro.

Aya · Miyazaki

Castle

Echizen Ono Castle

A hilltop castle in Ono built by Kanamori Nagachika from 1576, with stone walls of unworked stone and a keep rebuilt in 1968.

Ono · Fukui

Historic Site

Nemuro Peninsula Chashi Site

Ainu chashi earthworks on the sea cliffs of the Nemuro Peninsula, dated to around the 16th to 18th centuries and No. 1 of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan.

Nemuro · Hokkaido

Castle

Takeda Castle Ruins

Stone walls of a mountain castle abandoned in 1600, on a 353-metre summit, known as the castle in the sky when a sea of clouds forms below it.

Asago · Hyogo

Castle

Ne Castle

Site of a castle built in 1334 for the Southern Court and held by the Nejo Nanbu clan for about 300 years, with its main bailey rebuilt on excavated remains.

Hachinohe · Aomori

Castle

Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle

Also called Tsuruga Castle, the seat of the Aizu Domain held out for a month in the 1868 Boshin War; its rebuilt red-tiled keep houses a museum.

Aizuwakamatsu · Fukushima

Castle

Remains of Kawagoe Castle

Site of a castle first built in 1457 in Kawagoe, where part of the Honmaru Goten, the palace the domain lords built in 1848, still stands.

Kawagoe · Saitama

Castle

Mito Castle Ruins

Earthwork remains of the Mito Domain's castle, with dry moats and ramparts, a rebuilt main gate and corner turret, and the Kodokan on the outer bailey.

Mito · Ibaraki

Castle

Saga Castle

Originally built in the late sixteenth century to control highway crossroads, Saga Castle served as the Saga Domain's residence and was reconstructed in 1989.

Saga

Castle

Hiroshima Castle

Castle built by Mori Terumoto from 1589 on the Ota River delta. Its keep, rebuilt after the 1945 atomic bombing, closed in 2026; the grounds stay open.

Hiroshima

Castle

Kanazawa Castle

Seat of the Maeda lords of the Kaga domain, where the Ishikawa-mon gate of 1788 stands beside turrets rebuilt in wood since 2001.

Kanazawa · Ishikawa

Castle

Wakayama Castle

Castle founded in 1585 by Toyotomi Hidenaga and later the seat of the Kishu Tokugawa family, with a keep rebuilt in 1958 and the Nishinomaru Garden.

Wakayama

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