SilkCode LibraryCastles of Japan
No. 058KinkiHyogo

Akashi Castle

明石城

Ruins & historic sites

Two three-storey turrets stand above high walls. A keep platform was built, but no keep followed, leaving the turrets to define the castle’s skyline.

A white turret and walls at Akashi Castle
A white turret and walls at Akashi CastlePhoto: 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · Resized and converted to WebP. Cards crop the display.This photograph shows the site at the time it was taken. Check the notes and official sources for current restoration work and access.

Get to know the castle

Castle at a glance

Site & layout
Hilltop castle
Origins
Begun 1619; completed 1620
Builders & patrons
Ogasawara Tadamasa, later Tadazane
Other names
Kishunjo
What remains today
Tatsumi and Hitsujisaru turrets, walls, moats and unused keep platform

THE STORY

The story behind the walls

Ogasawara Tadamasa, later known as Tadazane, began the castle in 1619; it was completed in 1620. Three-storey turrets occupied its four main-enclosure corners, but no keep was built. Recent research suggests the two surviving turrets were rebuilt after a fire in 1631. Repaired over the centuries, they retain early Edo-period castle architecture and are Important Cultural Properties.

LAYOUT & ARCHITECTURE

Read the landscape and the buildings.

High walls support the hilltop main enclosure, with turrets guarding its corners. The southwestern turret is thought to have served functions otherwise associated with a keep. The castle illustrates how turrets and walls could define a fortress without one.

A CLOSER LOOK

Details worth a closer look.

01

The two surviving turrets

Edo-period turrets survive at the southeast and southwest corners of the main enclosure. Both have three floors, but their positions reveal different defensive roles.

02

A platform without a keep

The keep platform lies north of the southwestern turret. It reflects an unbuilt plan, rather than a keep that later disappeared.

03

The castle park

The grounds now form Akashi Park. Views from below and from the upper terraces offer different ways to appreciate the height of the walls.

THROUGH THE YEARS

A short timeline

  1. 1619–1620

    The Ogasawara built the castle.

  2. After 1631

    The two surviving turrets are thought to have been rebuilt after a fire.

  3. 1957

    Both turrets were designated Important Cultural Properties.

BEFORE YOU GO

A note before you go.

Turret interiors are opened on a seasonal schedule rather than continuously. Check the dates if you wish to enter, separately from a general park walk.

Official visitor information ↗Find it on a map ↗

Information checked: 27 September 2026

Sources & official information

Some official sources are available in Japanese only.

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