SilkCode LibraryCastles of Japan
No. 045Hokuriku & TokaiAichi

Okazaki Castle

岡崎城

Reconstructed buildings

Best known as Tokugawa Ieyasu’s birthplace, Okazaki introduces the history of Mikawa. Moats and walls around the 1959 reconstructed keep reveal more of the former castle.

Okazaki Castle keep beyond cherry blossoms
Okazaki Castle keep beyond cherry blossomsPhoto: Bariston · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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
Mid-15th-century origin; present keep 1959
Builders & patrons
The Saigo and Matsudaira families, Tanaka Yoshimasa and others
Other names
Tatsukijo; Tatsugajo
What remains today
Moats and stone walls; reconstructed keep

THE STORY

The story behind the walls

The castle originated with a 15th-century stronghold of the Saigo family. It developed as a Matsudaira base and became Ieyasu’s birthplace in 1542. It remained important after his move to Hamamatsu, and its town flourished along the Tokaido during the Edo period. Most buildings were removed early in the Meiji era; civic support led to reconstruction of the keep in 1959.

LAYOUT & ARCHITECTURE

Read the landscape and the buildings.

This hilltop castle divided its enclosures with moats. Outworks also protected entrances during the Warring States period. Comparing the modern park with the earlier layout reveals defences beyond the keep itself.

A CLOSER LOOK

Details worth a closer look.

01

Ieyasu’s birthplace

Ieyasu was born here in 1542. The site and its interpretation trace the Matsudaira and Tokugawa before the establishment of the Edo shogunate.

02

The reconstructed keep

The present three-tier, five-floor keep dates to 1959. It recalls the historic exterior but is not the building Ieyasu knew.

03

Moats and enclosures

Outside the keep, moats and walls mark former precincts. Entrances and approaches help explain how the centre was protected.

THROUGH THE YEARS

A short timeline

  1. 1542

    Tokugawa Ieyasu was born at the castle.

  2. 1873–1874

    Most castle buildings were dismantled.

  3. 1959

    The keep’s exterior was reconstructed.

BEFORE YOU GO

A note before you go.

Combine the keep with a walk around the park’s historic remains. Individual facilities have their own opening arrangements on the official visitor website.

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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