SilkCode LibraryCastles of Japan
No. 047Hokuriku & TokaiMie

Iga Ueno Castle

伊賀上野城

Reconstructed buildings

A white wooden keep stands above imposing walls beside the inner moat. The site combines Todo Takatora’s castle design with a keep built through local initiative in the 20th century.

The keep of Iga-Ueno Castle beneath a blue sky
The keep of Iga-Ueno Castle beneath a blue skyPhoto: The original uploader was T@ka at Japanese Wikipedia . · CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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
Founded in 1585; enlarged from 1611; present keep 1935
Builders & patrons
Tsutsui Sadatsugu and Todo Takatora; present keep by Kawasaki Katsu
Other names
Hakuho Castle
What remains today
Inner moat and high walls; modern wooden keep

THE STORY

The story behind the walls

The castle grew from a stronghold established by Tsutsui Sadatsugu in 1585. Todo Takatora enlarged it and developed its imposing stone defences. The present timber keep was built by Kawasaki Katsu in 1935. The site therefore combines early-modern military construction with a modern project to promote local culture.

LAYOUT & ARCHITECTURE

Read the landscape and the buildings.

High walls and an inner moat protected the main enclosure on a hill. The current three-tier wooden keep is a modern revival built on the historic site. Comparing its white plaster with the moat-side walls highlights their different ages and materials.

A CLOSER LOOK

Details worth a closer look.

01

The high inner-moat walls

Walls rising about 30 metres convey the scale of the defences. View their height and corners from safe paths rather than approaching the edge.

02

A 20th-century wooden keep

Kawasaki Katsu’s initiative produced the present wooden keep in 1935. Its traditional materials do not make it a surviving Warring States structure.

03

Ceiling art and displays

Displays include arms and material associated with the Todo family. Ceiling artworks contributed by prominent figures also reflect the keep’s modern origins.

THROUGH THE YEARS

A short timeline

  1. 1585

    Tsutsui Sadatsugu established Ueno Castle.

  2. 1611

    Major development under Todo Takatora.

  3. 1935

    The present wooden keep was completed.

BEFORE YOU GO

A note before you go.

Keep well away from wall edges. The castle and nearby ninja attractions are separate visits, so allow time for the keep displays and stone defences.

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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