No. 014IbarakiRuins & historic sites
Mito Castle
Mito’s banks, moats and reconstructed gates trace the seat of the Mito Tokugawa family. They introduce an earth-built castle and the educational culture that developed beside it.
Explore this castleCastles of Japan · Volume 02
Kanto & Koshinetsu
Explore 19 selected castles in Kanto & Koshinetsu. Photographs, historical timelines, architecture and official sources help you discover each site.
No. 014 — 032 · 19 castles
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19 castles
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No. 014
No. 015TochigiRuins & historic sites
Ashikaga Clan Residence
Banna-ji Temple now occupies the Ashikaga clan’s former residence. The surrounding moat and banks preserve the outline of a warrior compound, while temple buildings tell its later religious history.
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No. 016GunmaRuins & historic sites
Minowa Castle
Built at the end of a ridge descending from Mount Haruna, Minowa is striking for its great ditches. Earthworks and reconstructed gates reveal a castle reshaped by rulers from the Nagano clan to Ii Naomasa.
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No. 017GunmaRuins & historic sites
Kanayama Castle
Kanayama is a mountain castle in Ota distinguished by its masonry. Ridge paths lead to stone-faced entrances and paved surfaces that show the variety of medieval castle building in the Kanto region.
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No. 018SaitamaRuins & historic sites
Hachigata Castle
Associated with Hojo Ujikuni, Hachigata is defended by cliffs above the Arakawa and the Fukazawa valley. Banks and ditches turn seemingly open ground into a readable sequence of enclosures.
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No. 019SaitamaRuins & historic sites
Kawagoe Castle
Kawagoe’s highlight is part of its main-enclosure palace, rather than a keep. Its imposing entrance and rooms bring the official life of an important domain close to the visitor.
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No. 020ChibaRuins & historic sites
Sakura Castle
Deep dry moats and banks preserve the outline of a castle guarding Edo’s eastern approaches. A walk through the green park reveals a large defensive complex shaped mainly from earth and terrain.
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No. 021TokyoRuins & historic sites
Edo Castle
Part of the Tokugawa shoguns’ castle survives in the Imperial Palace East Gardens. Massive walls, gates and the keep platform reveal the scale of the former complex in central Tokyo.
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No. 022TokyoRuins & historic sites
Hachioji Castle
Hojo Ujiteru’s castle extends across a substantial mountain landscape. Its palace-area masonry and upper stronghold reveal a deliberate division between residence and defence.
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No. 023KanagawaReconstructed buildings
Odawara Castle
Odawara changed from the Hojo clan’s regional stronghold into an Edo-period castle. Its rebuilt keep and reconstructed gates introduce changes in both scale and function.
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No. 024YamanashiRuins & historic sites
Takeda Clan Residence
This fortified residence served three generations of Takeda rulers: Nobutora, Shingen and Katsuyori. Around today’s Takeda Shrine, moats and banks recall government from a lowland residence rather than a summit castle.
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No. 025YamanashiRuins & historic sites
Kofu Castle
Early-modern masonry rises above central Kofu in Maizuru Castle Park. Its terraces tell a story distinct from the earlier Takeda residence elsewhere in the city.
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No. 026NaganoRuins & historic sites
Matsushiro Castle
First known as Kaizu Castle, this site later became the Sanada family’s seat. Walls and reconstructed gates and bridges reveal a lowland castle that incorporated the Chikuma River into its defences.
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No. 027NaganoRuins & historic sites
Ueda Castle
Founded by Sanada Masayuki, Ueda is known for two battles against Tokugawa forces. Its surviving turrets and walls also reflect Edo-period rebuilding, giving the site a history beyond the Sanada.
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No. 028NaganoRuins & historic sites
Komoro Castle
Komoro is known as an anajiro, a castle lower than its surrounding town. Ravines, walls and old gates in Kaikoen reveal a design closely adapted to the terrain.
Explore this castleNo. 029NaganoOriginal keep
Matsumoto Castle
Matsumoto is a flatland castle with an original keep reflected in its moat. Comparing its defensive towers with the later Moon-viewing Turret reveals a change in architectural purpose.
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No. 030NaganoRuins & historic sites
Takato Castle
The park famous for Takato cherry blossoms also preserves the terrain of a Takeda stronghold. Moats and banks around the main enclosure reveal a base controlling the surrounding valley.
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No. 031NiigataRuins & historic sites
Shibata Castle
Historic and reconstructed structures stand beside Shibata’s moat. Distinguishing the surviving gate and turret from later reconstructions adds depth to the familiar white-walled view.
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No. 032NiigataRuins & historic sites
Kasugayama Castle
Known as Uesugi Kenshin’s seat, Kasugayama is an extensive earth-built mountain castle. Summit enclosures, hillside terraces and the lower perimeter together reveal the scale of the complex.
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