Japanese Castles

Activity > Not area specific > History

Castles anywhere in the world are just cool. The castles in Japan are very different from European castles and have their own very unique style and capabilities. Japanese castles are not only bastions of defense, they are also very beautiful. It is said that throughout Japanese history there were up to 5,000 castles built throughout the land... 5,000!  Some were just small little "fort" types while others were massive strongholds. From Okinawa to Hokkaido there were castles built upon hilltops and on the flatland owned by one of the many "Clans" that were vying for power in Japan's medieval times. Most castles can be reached very easily by public transportation and make an excellent and interesting destination on your visit to Japan.

 

Japanese Castles near Tokyo

Unfortunately after the Meiji Restoration, the Meiji government ordered the destruction of most all the castles in Japan in the late 1870's (because they were viewed as symbols of the previous Shogun elite). The Tokyo area (Kantou Region) Japan castles did not survive this onslaught. There are a few "Re-Constructed" Japanese castles (mostly just "parts" of the original using the original's plans) but most are "Mock Ups" (not even the original castles design) in the spot or near the spot where the original stood.  The "Mock Ups" are very interesting and pretty but just understand that if you visit, they are a modern times (usually in the 1970's and 1980's) constructed structures.  The "Mock Ups" are usually museums that contain history of the original castle, the surroundings and artifacts such as swords and armor.

Two best Japanese Castles near Tokyo

There are two very interesting castles near Tokyo that a tourist may want to consider visiting while they are in Tokyo.  If you have extra time and love castles, please consider the others and view their detail pages (click a castle in the image below to view it's detail page).  The Imperial Palace in Tokyo is also an easy half day trip and can be visited rather easily.  However, the two interesting castles we mention are Odawara Castle and Oshi Castle. Oshi castle is very cool because it is a Genuine Reconstruction of the original and it held off 23,000 troops with only 619 samurai and 2,000 troops made up of farmers and village people! Odawara Castle is cool because its pretty big, it is a Reconstruction and was the main bastion of the Hojo Clan who fought vigorously against the Tokugawa alliance and the castle successfully repelled many large attacks. For more details on these castles please click the castle on the image below.

Japanese Castle Maps

The icons below indicate the condition of castles in Japan. Click a castle to go directly to it's detail page.

Pseudo - A castle never stood on this location. The current structure is a modern structure purely built to draw tourism. The structure was built using modern machinery and materials such as concrete and steel. Some cities build museums in the shape of a Japanese castle which causes confusion among not only tourists but the Japanese as well.

Mockup - A castle stood on this location but the current structure is not an authentic reconstruction of the original. The shape, size and position of the castle may be totally different than what the original castle was and most likely built using modern machinery and materials such as concrete and steel. Some cities build museums in the shape of a Japanese castle which causes confusion among not only tourists but the Japanese as well.

Reconstruction - The original castle was destroyed and has been reconstructed. It's shape, size and location may be a faithful reconstruction of the original or slightly different but it was built using modern machinery and materials such as concrete and steel.

Genuine Reconstruction - The original castle was destroyed but has been reconstructed in it's original form using traditional methods and materials.

Original - The cream of the crop which have survived in their original forms. These castle managed to survive earthquakes, floods, fires, wars and more.

Ruins - A genuine/original castle but the castle lays in ruins. Some ruins may just be mounds of dirt while other may contain other elements such as walls, gates, etc. View the specific castle's page for details.

Japanese Castles near Osaka

If your travel plans include the Osaka or Kyoto areas (or you live in the Kansai region) you have the opportunity to see some of Japan's best castles. Osaka Castle is simple to get to and offers an incredible look at a Japanese stronghold and piece of history. From Osaka or Kyoto you can catch a Bullet Train to Himeji and see one of top four best castles in Japan, Himeji Castle.  Himeji Castle is an "original" structure (surviving quite the onslaught of destruction from many sources) and is absolutely gorgeous.  Himeji Castle is frequently listing in lists of "The most beautiful castles in the world.", especially during the fall or cherry blossom season.  Another option is to catch an express train out to see Hikone Castle (or go to Nagahama Castle first and catch it on the way back).  Hikone Castle is another "original" structure and quite astonishing.  If your just a "casual tourist", a visit to Osaka, Himeji or Hikone Castle is highly recommended. If your a "castle fan", you will be in "castle heaven"... visit them all! The Japanese train system makes it convenient and relatively inexpensive to experience a piece of famous world history.

Why Wood?

Most of us in the Western World associate a castle as a massive and ominous stone building with stone walls to protect from infantry and siege weapon attacks. Stone is hard, heavy and difficult to destroy so why did the Japanese use wood to build their castles? Wouldn't it be susceptible to fire?

The main reason Japanese used wood was because of earthquakes. Japan has earthquakes all the time and a hard, rigid structure could easily be damaged heavily or completely destroyed by earthquakes. They didn't have the "rigid structure" engineering knowledge or capability in those days that we have today but they did know how to make semi-earthquake resistant wooden buildings. Stone structures also take quite a bit more work to build whereas a wooden structure could be built or fixed much more quickly.

Fire

Fire was a major issue and many famous Japanese castles burned to the ground on numerous occasions by warfare, lightning and silly mistakes. They did lacquer and prepare wood sections as much as possible along with covering all lot of the wood sections in plaster (that is the white you see on the outside of most Japanese castles) but once a fire got going, all you could do was prepare your stick for roasting marshmallows.

Walled Protection

Japanese castles did build stone walls and they did use stone as the base foundation for castles. A key defensive concept for a Japanese castle was to build a series of walls and zig-zagging pathways that would confuse attackers. Furthermore many Japanese castles had a moat or even two moats along with a series of high stone walls. As attackers ran through these confusing pathways, defending archers could shoot down on them. A series of walls extending for out from the main keep also made it difficult for siege engines as it made it difficult to get close enough to bombard the main keep.

Terrain Protection

Japanese Castles are classified into a few major types depending on the location on which they are built:

• Mountain Top Castle 山城 (やまじろ, Yama Jiro or Yama Jyou)
• Flatland Castle 平城(ひらじろ, Hira Jiro or Hira Jyou)
• Castle on Flatland up high 平山城 (ひらやまじろ, Hira Yama Jiro or Hira Yama Jyou)

Many Japanese castles built during the early Sengoku Period, 1467-1600 the "Age of Warring States" (kind of like the Middle Ages in Europe), were built on top of hills and mountains. Of course attacking a castle high up on a mountain is not an easy task especially when the mountain is covered in very dense vegetation and the only path up there is guarded and sometimes blocked by outer walls. However, living in a castle high up on a mountain has it's disadvantages as well, it's a pain in the butt to walk up and down everyday. Usually the royal family would live in town during peace times and if there was a threat of attack, they could move up into the castle. Although there are many famous Japanese mountain castles are Bitchu Matsuyama Castle in Okayama, Iwakuni Castle in Yamaguchi and Takeda Castle in Hyogo prefecture, known as "Japan's Machu Picchu".