Get to know the castle
Castle at a glance
- Site & layout
- Castle developed from medieval to early-modern forms; rebuilt keep
- Origins
- Medieval origin; present keep built in 1960
- Builders & patrons
- Odawara Hojo clan and successive Edo-period lords
- Other names
- —
- What remains today
- Walls and moats; reconstructed keep and principal gates
THE STORY
The story behind the walls
The medieval castle grew into the Hojo centre of rule in the Kanto region. A perimeter around the town was prepared before the 1590 campaign, which ended in surrender. Later lords reshaped the castle during the Edo period. After the keep was dismantled in the Meiji era, reconstruction began with the present keep in 1960 and continued with gates and bridges.
LAYOUT & ARCHITECTURE
Read the landscape and the buildings.
Distinguish the Hojo’s broad outer circuit from the later main and second enclosures. Moats, masonry and gateways define the routes through today’s park. The reconstructed keep represents a later castle form, not an unchanged medieval Hojo stronghold.
A CLOSER LOOK
Details worth a closer look.
Keep rebuilt in 1960
The present keep is a postwar reconstruction. Its displays help visitors connect today’s park with the castle’s different historical phases.
Following the gates
Reconstructed gates include Tokiwagimon, Akaganemon and Umadashimon. Passing through successive entrances helps explain the later castle’s defences.
The wider defensive circuit
The Hojo created a defensive perimeter enclosing the town as well as the castle. This wider circuit extends the story far beyond the present keep.
THROUGH THE YEARS
A short timeline
- 1590
The castle surrendered during Hideyoshi’s campaign.
- 1960
The keep was rebuilt.
- 1997
Akaganemon Gate was reconstructed.
- 2009
Umadashimon Gate was reconstructed.
BEFORE YOU GO
A note before you go.
Check the official website for hours and admission at each exhibition facility. The park and surviving sections of the wider circuit cover different areas, so use an official map to plan.
Information checked: 27 September 2026
Sources & official information
Some official sources are available in Japanese only.
