Castles of Japan · Volume 05
Explore 13 selected castles in Chugoku. Photographs, historical timelines, architecture and official sources help you discover each site.
No. 063 — 075 · 13 castles
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13 castles
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No. 063TottoriRuins & historic sites
Different phases of castle building occupy Mount Kyusho and its foot. The site combines a steep mountain fortress with the broader stone precincts of an Edo-period domain castle.
Explore this castleNo. 064ShimaneOriginal keep
An original keep with dark wooden siding rises on Kamedayama near Lake Shinji. Surrounded by the castle town and waterways, this National Treasure rewards a close look at its timber structure and defensive features.
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No. 065ShimaneRuins & historic sites
The Amago family’s stronghold in Izumo extended from residential areas at the mountain’s foot to fortified summit enclosures. Changes in its walls and climbing routes reveal alterations from the age of provincial warfare into the early modern period.
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No. 066ShimaneRuins & historic sites
High stone walls spread across Mount Reiki above the town of Tsuwano. The site reveals how a medieval mountain stronghold was transformed into a stone-built castle in the early modern era.
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No. 067OkayamaRuins & historic sites
Tsuyama Castle is an early modern fortress whose tall stone walls rise in successive layers around a hill. Although most buildings have disappeared, its stepped enclosures still convey the scale of the castle.
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No. 068OkayamaOriginal keep
An original Edo-period keep stands beyond a mountain path north of Takahashi. Among Japan’s twelve surviving historic keeps, this mountain-castle example is notable for defences that combine bedrock, stone walls and plastered earthen walls.
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No. 069OkayamaRuins & historic sites
Kinojo is a mountain fortress far older than the early modern castles associated with keeps. A long defensive wall encloses the hilltop, and the reconstructed West Gate helps convey the scale of this ancient installation.
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No. 070OkayamaReconstructed buildings
Okayama Castle is known as the Crow Castle for the dark keep beside the Asahi River. Its reconstructed keep, surviving Tsukimi Turret and stonework from different periods reveal a long history of change.
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No. 071HiroshimaReconstructed buildings
Fukuyama Castle presents a white face to the south and a dark one to the north. Its reconstructed keep stands alongside surviving gates and turrets.
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No. 072HiroshimaRuins & historic sites
This sprawling mountain castle was a base of Mori Motonari. Its ridges retain a succession of levelled defensive enclosures.
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No. 073HiroshimaReconstructed buildings
Mori Terumoto built Hiroshima Castle on the Ota River delta. The moat, keep exterior and Ninomaru recall the origins of the castle town.
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No. 074YamaguchiReconstructed buildings
Iwakuni Castle stands above the Nishiki River. The modern keep and original keep platform offer two different views of its history.
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No. 075YamaguchiRuins & historic sites
The Mori clan’s castle ruins spread below Mount Shizuki. Although the keep is gone, moats and stone walls still trace its form.
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