SilkCode LibraryCastles of Japan
No. 062KinkiWakayama

Wakayama Castle

和歌山城

Reconstructed buildings

White keeps crown Mount Torafusu at the Kishu Tokugawa castle. The present towers are postwar reconstructions, while walls, a historic gate and gardens reveal a longer history.

The keep and white walls of Wakayama Castle
The keep and white walls of Wakayama CastlePhoto: 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · 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 1585; present keep complex 1958
Builders & patrons
Toyotomi Hidenaga, the Asano family, Tokugawa Yorinobu and others
Other names
Torafusujo; Takegakijo
What remains today
Okaguchi Gate, walls and moats; reconstructed keeps and garden

THE STORY

The story behind the walls

Hideyoshi ordered his brother Hidenaga to build the castle in 1585. After Asano rule, Tokugawa Yorinobu arrived in 1619 and made it the Kishu Tokugawa seat. A keep rebuilt in 1850 after lightning damage was destroyed by air raids in 1945. The present complex reproduces its appearance in reinforced concrete and dates to 1958.

LAYOUT & ARCHITECTURE

Read the landscape and the buildings.

The keep complex occupied the western peak, with the main palace to the east. Administration and residence later shifted to the lower second enclosure. Comparing summit towers, palace sites and moat-side gardens reveals this division of functions.

A CLOSER LOOK

Details worth a closer look.

01

Connected keeps

The reconstructed complex links a main keep, smaller keep and turrets. It is best viewed as a connected group rather than a single tower.

02

Okaguchi Gate

Okaguchi Gate survives as a historic Important Cultural Property. It offers a useful contrast with the reconstructed keep complex.

03

Garden and covered bridge

The western garden uses the inner moat as part of its landscape. A reconstructed covered bridge adds another perspective on movement and life within the castle.

THROUGH THE YEARS

A short timeline

  1. 1585

    Construction began on Hideyoshi’s orders.

  2. 1619

    Tokugawa Yorinobu became lord.

  3. 1945 / 1958

    The keep burned in air raids and was reconstructed in 1958.

BEFORE YOU GO

A note before you go.

Slopes and steps lead to the keep. Include the lower garden and gate, noting that individual facilities have their own opening hours.

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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