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100 Fine Castles of Japan
🏯 100 Fine Castles of Japan
🗼 Tokyo Essentials
⛩️ Kyoto Essentials
🌆 Osaka Essentials
🦌 Nara Essentials
🪷 Kamakura Essentials
♨️ Hakone Essentials
⛩️ Nikkō Essentials
🏯 National Treasure Buildings
⛩️ Three Views of Japan
🌳 Three Great Gardens of Japan
🌃 Three Great Night Views of Japan
♨️ Three Famous Hot Springs of Japan
🏯 National Treasure Castles
🌸 Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots
💧 Top 100 Waterfalls of Japan
🌏 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Japan)
🏞️ Special Places of Scenic Beauty
🍁 Top 100 Autumn Foliage Spots
♨️ 100 Famous Hot Springs
🌃 100 Night Views of Japan
🌾 Famous Rice Terraces
🏘️ Historic Preservation Districts
🛕 Saigoku 33 Kannon
🛕 Bandō 33 Kannon
100 spots
📍 Near me
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Iga Ueno Castle
📍 Mie
Iga Ueno Castle , also known as Ueno Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Iga, Mie Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The castle is also called Hakuho Castle , or "White Phoenix Castle," because of its beautiful architecture and floor plan. The castle has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1967.
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Matsusaka Castle
📍 Mie
Matsusaka Castle was a Japanese castle located in the city of Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Throughout most of the Edo period, Matsusaka Castle was a secondary administrative center for the Kishu-Tokugawa clan, daimyō of Kishū Domain. It has been protected as a National Historic Site since 2011.
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Nijō Castle
📍 Kyoto
Nijō Castle is a flatland castle in Kyoto, Japan. The castle consists of two concentric rings (Kuruwa) of fortifications, the Ninomaru Palace, the ruins of the Honmaru Palace, various support buildings and several gardens. The surface area of the castle is 275,000 square metres, of which 8,000 square metres (86,000 sq ft) is occupied by buildings.
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Nagoya Castle
📍 Saga
Nagoya Castle was a Japanese castle located in the Chinzei neighborhood of the city of Karatsu, Saga Prefecture. It is sometimes called Hizen-Nagoya Castle to distinguish it from the more famous Nagoya Castle in Aichi Prefecture. It is located on a hill in the center of Higashi Matsuura peninsula, about 10 kilometer north of Karatsu city. It served as the base from which Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched his invasions of Korea from 1592 to 1598. None of the original historic structures of Nagoya Castle remain, but the castle's ruined foundations survive, and were designated a National Historic Site in 1926, and elevated to a Special Historic Site in 1955. The area under protection was expanded in the year 2000.
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Saga Castle
📍 Saga
Saga Castle is a Japanese castle located in Saga City, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It is a hiraijirō, a castle built on a plains rather than a hill or mountain, and is surrounded by a wall rather than being built above a stone base. Saga castle was home to the Nabeshima clan, daimyō of Saga Domain. It was also known as "Submerged Castle" .
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Yoshinogari site
📍 Saga
Yoshinogari is a large and complex Yayoi period archaeological site located in the town of Yoshinogari and city of Kanzaki in Saga Prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan. According to the Yayoi chronology established by pottery seriations in the 20th century, Yoshinogari dates back to between the 3rd century BC and the 3rd century AD. However, recent attempts to use absolute dating methods such as AMS radiocarbon dating have shown that the earliest Yayoi component of Yoshinogari dates back to before 400 BC.
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Akashi Castle
📍 Hyōgo
Akashi Castle is an Edo period Japanese castle located in the city of Akashi, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It was also known as Kiharu Castle or Kinkō Castle . Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1957.
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Akō Castle
📍 Hyōgo
Akō Castle is a former flatland Japanese castle located in the city of Akō, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Built by the Asano clan in the Edo period, it was the center of Akō Domain in western Harima Province. Demolished in 1873 by the Meiji government, the castle was designated a National Historic Site in 1971, with the area under protection expanded in 2003. Within the castle grounds is the Nagayamon gate to the residence of Ōishi Kuranosuke, the karō of the domain under Asano Naganori. The house itself no longer exists, but its location has a separate National Historic Site designation. Both the Honmaru Garden and the Ni-no-Maru Gardens have been restored to an approximation of their appearance in the Edo period, and are collectively designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 2021.
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Himeji Castle
📍 Hyōgo
Himeji Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in Himeji, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 structures with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period. The castle is frequently known as Hakuro-jō or Shirasagi-jō because of its brilliant white exterior and supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight.
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Sasayama Castle
📍 Hyōgo
Sasayama Castle is an early Edo Period Japanese castle located in the city of Tamba-Sasayama, Hyōgo, Japan. It ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1956.
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Takeda Castle
📍 Hyōgo
Takeda Castle was a Sengoku period Japanese castle located in the Wadayama neighborhood of the city of Asago, in the northern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It is located north of Himeji, and north-west of Kyoto, and is situated some 353 metres above sea level It is often referred to locally as the "Machu Picchu of Japan". The castle was destroyed during the Sengoku period, only its foundations and stone walls remain. The ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1943.
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Goryōkaku
📍 Hokkaido
Goryōkaku is a star fort in the Japanese city of Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido. The fortress was completed in 1866. It was the main headquarters of the short-lived Republic of Ezo.
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Matsumae Castle
📍 Hokkaido
Matsumae Castle is a castle located in Matsumae, Hokkaido, Japan, and is the northernmost castle in Japan. The only traditional style Edo period castle in Hokkaidō, it was the chief residence of the han (estate) of the Matsumae clan.
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Nemuro Peninsula Chashi Sites
📍 Hokkaido
Nemuro Peninsula Chashi Sites is a grouping of twenty-four Ainu chashi on the Nemuro Peninsula in Nemuro, Hokkaidō, Japan that have been jointly designated a national Historic Site, out of a total of thirty-two chashi sites identified in the city. The grouping is also the first entry on the Japan Castle Foundation's 2006 list of Japan's Top 100 Castles. Typically found at elevations of 5 metres (16 ft) to 50 metres (160 ft) above sea level, they are mostly situated on bluffs overlooking the Sea of Okhotsk, reinforced with U-shaped or semicircular moats. Relative to many of those elsewhere on the island, their state of preservation is good. They are thought to date from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, and are associated with the 1789 Menashi–Kunashir rebellion.
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Sakura Castle
📍 Chiba
Sakura Castle was a 17th-century castle, now in ruins, in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture. It was designated one of Japan's Top 100 Castles by the Japanese Castle Foundation.
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Wakayama Castle
📍 Wakayama
Wakayama Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. For most of the Edo Period, it was the administrative center of Kishū Domain, which was controlled by a cadet branch of the Tokugawa clan. Due to its size and status, Wakayama Castle was ranked as one of the most important castles under the Tokugawa shogunate.
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Hachigata Castle
📍 Saitama
Hachigata Castle was a Sengoku period Japanese castle, located in the town of Yorii, Saitama Prefecture, in the Kantō region of Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1932.
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Kawagoe Castle
📍 Saitama
Kawagoe Castle is a flatland Japanese castle in the city of Kawagoe, in Japan's Saitama Prefecture. It is the closest castle to Tokyo to be accessible to visitors, as Edo castle is now the Imperial palace, and largely inaccessible.
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Funai Castle
📍 Ōita
Funai Castle is a 16th-century castle, located in Ōita city, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. It was built by Ōtomo Sōrin in 1562, who owned much of the surrounding Kyūshū island. The castle was originally built with several turrets (yagura), all of which were burnt down with the three-story donjon in 1743. Some parts of the castle were rebuilt in the 1800’s, including two of the turrets which still stand today. The covered bridge that led to the castle over its moat, as well as three more turrets and the main castle gate, were rebuilt in the 20th century. Original remains also include parts of the stone and plaster walls, as well as the moat.
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Oka Castle
📍 Ōita
Oka Castle was a Sengoku to Edo period yamajiro-style Japanese castle located in the city of Taketa, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 2023.
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Chihaya Castle
📍 Osaka
Chihaya Castle is a late Kamakura period Japanese castle located in the village of Chihayaakasaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1934.
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Osaka Castle
📍 Osaka
Osaka Castle is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi–Momoyama period.
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Takatori Castle
📍 Nara
Takatori Castle was a Sengoku to Edo period yamajiro-style Japanese castle located in what is now the town of Takatori, Nara Prefecture, in the Kinki region of Japan. Its ruins been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1953. Takatori Castle was listed as one of Japan's Top 100 Castles by the Japan Castle Foundation in 2006.
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Sendai Castle
📍 Miyagi
Aoba Castle is a Japanese castle located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Throughout the Edo period, Aoba Castle was home to the Date clan, daimyō of Sendai Domain. The castle was also known as Sendai-jō (仙台城) or as Gojō-rō (五城楼). In 2003, the castle ruins were designated a National Historic Site.
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Taga Castle
📍 Miyagi
Taga Castle was a jōsaku-style Japanese castle built in the late Nara period in what is now part of the city of Tagajō in Miyagi prefecture in the Tōhoku region of far northern Honshu, Japan. Bashō tells of his visit to the site in Oku no Hosomichi. The ruins of Taga-jō and its former temple have been designated a Special Historic Site (特別史跡) since 1922.
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Obi Castle
📍 Miyazaki
Obi Castle is a Japanese castle originally completed in 1588. It was the center of the old Obi Domain, now a part of Miyazaki Prefecture.
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Takaoka Castle
📍 Toyama
Takaoka Castle was a flatland-style Japanese castle in what is now the city of Takaoka, Toyama Japan. It was originally constructed in 1609, and was only used for a few years before being dismantled. The site of its ruins is now a park. The castle is designated one of Japan's Top 100 Castles by the Japanese Castle Foundation. The ruins are protected as a National Historic Site.
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Hagi Castle
📍 Yamaguchi
Hagi Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in the San'yō region of Japan. Built in 1604 at the beginning of the Edo period as the main castle of the Mōri clan, it served as the seat of the Chōshū Domain for over 250 years until 1863. It was demolished in 1874 shortly after the Meiji Restoration. Its ruins were designated a National Historic Site in 1924. Hagi Castle has been designed as a component of the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining, which received UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2015.
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Iwakuni Castle
📍 Yamaguchi
Iwakuni Castle is a replica castle in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan. The nearby Kintai Bridge was originally a footbridge over the Nishiki River to the main gate of the castle.
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Yamagata Castle
📍 Yamagata
Yamagata Castle is a flatland-style Japanese castle located in the center of the city of Yamagata, eastern Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Throughout the Edo period, Yamagata Castle was the headquarters for the daimyō of Yamagata Domain. The castle was also known as "Ka-jō" (霞城). The castle grounds are protected as a National Historic Site by the Japanese government
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Maizuru Castle Park
📍 Yamanashi
Kōfu Castle was a Japanese castle located in the city of Kōfu, Yamanashi Prefecture, in the Chubu region of Japan. The site has been protected as a National Historic Site since 2019. The castle is also known as Maizuru Castle, and the present-day surroundings are called Maizuru Castle Park .
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Tsutsujigasaki Castle
📍 Yamanashi
Tsutsujigasaki Castle was the fortified residence of the final three generations of the Takeda clan, located in the center of the city of Kōfu, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. It is not a Japanese castle in the proper sense of the word, and is not referred to as a "castle" in Japanese, as it was famously the policy of the Takeda clan to "make men your castle, men your walls, men your moats". Nevertheless, it is listed as one of Japan's Top 100 Castles. The ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1938. The site is open to the public and now contains the Takeda Shrine, a Shinto shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of the Takeda clan.
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Gifu Castle
📍 Gifu
Gifu Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Along with Mount Kinka and the Nagara River, it is one of the main symbols of the city. The castle is also known as Inabayama Castle . It was designated a National Historic Site in 2011.
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Iwamura Castle
📍 Gifu
Iwamura Castle was located in the southeastern area of Mino Province in Japan. Its ruins can be found in the modern-day municipal subdivision of Iwamura, in Ena, Gifu Prefecture. Along with Takatori Castle in Nara and Bitchu-Matsuyama Castle in Okayama, it is regarded as one of the three best mountain castles, and at an elevation of 721 meters above sea level, it is one of the highest in Japan.
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Bitchū Matsuyama Castle
📍 Okayama
Bitchū Matsuyama Castle , also known as Takahashi Castle (高梁城), is a Japanese castle located in the city of Takahashi, Okayama Prefecture, in the San'yō region of Japan. Along with having one of only twelve remaining original tenshu in the country, Bitchū Matsuyama Castle is notable as the castle with the highest elevation above sea level in Japan at 430 meters (1410 ft). It has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1956.
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Ki Castle
📍 Okayama
Kino Castle was an ancient kōgoishi type castle located in the city of Sōja, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1986. Portions of the castle were reconstructed in the early 2000s.
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Okayama Castle
📍 Okayama
Okayama Castle is a Japanese castle in the city of Okayama in Okayama Prefecture in Japan. The main tower was completed in 1597, destroyed in 1945 and replicated in concrete in 1966. Two of the watch towers survived the bombing of 1945 and are now listed by the national Agency for Cultural Affairs as Important Cultural Properties.
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Tsuyama Castle
📍 Okayama
Tsuyama Castle is a Japanese castle located in the Sange neighborhood of the city of Tsuyama, Okayama Prefecture, in the San'in region of Japan. Tsuyama considered one of Japan's three major hirayama style castles along with Himeji Castle and Matsuyama Castle, which were all constructed around the same time. During the Edo period, Tsuyama castle served as the primary residence of the daimyō of the Tsuyama Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The castle was also called Kakuzan Castle . It has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1963.
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Morioka Castle
📍 Iwate
Morioka Castle is a hirayama-style Japanese castle constructed in 1611. It was the seat of the Nanbu clan, a tozama daimyō clan who ruled over Morioka Domain, Mutsu Province in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan during the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. The castle is located in what is now the center of the city of Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. It was also referred to as Kozukata Castle , but strictly speaking this name pertains to the predecessor of Morioka Castle on the same site.
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Gassantoda Castle
📍 Shimane
Gassantoda Castle was a Sengoku period yamajiro-style Japanese castle located in Izumo Province, in what is now part of the city of Yasugi, Shimane Prefecture in the San'in region of far western Japan. Its ruins have been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1934. Gassantoda Castle was built using the whole of Gassan's ridges and valleys, and is regarded as one of the five largest and most important medieval mountain castles along with Kasugayama Castle (Niigata), Nanao Castle (Ishikawa), Odani Castle and Kannonji Castle (Shiga).
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Matsue Castle
📍 Shimane
Matsue Castle is a Japanese castle located in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture.
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Tsuwano Castle
📍 Shimane
Tsuwano Castle was a Japanese castle located in what is now the city of Tsuwano, Shimane Prefecture, in the San'in region of far western Japan. Its ruins have been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1942. In its early history, it was called Sanbonmatsu Castle or Ipponmatsu Castle . During the Edo Period, it was the center of Tsuwano Domain ruled by the Kamei clan; however, the administrative offices and daimyō residence were located at the base of the mountain to avoid the steep mountain paths.
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Fukuyama Castle
📍 Hiroshima
Fukuyama Castle , sometimes called Hisamatsu Castle or Iyō Castle was the castle of the Bingo-Fukuyama Han during the Edo period of Japanese history. The grounds of the castle have been designate a National Historic Site since 1964. The castle is located in Fukuyama Park in Fukuyama, Hiroshima near Fukuyama Station.
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Hiroshima Castle
📍 Hiroshima
Hiroshima Castle , sometimes called Carp Castle , is a castle in Hiroshima, Japan that was the residence of the daimyō of the Hiroshima Domain. The castle was originally constructed in the 1590s, but much of it was dismantled in the Meiji era, and what remained was largely destroyed by the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945. The main keep was rebuilt in 1958, a replica of the original that now serves as a museum of Hiroshima's history before the Second World War, and other castle buildings have been reconstructed since.
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Yoshida-Kōriyama Castle
📍 Hiroshima
Yoshida-Kōriyama Castle was a Japanese castle located in Akitakata, Hiroshima Prefecture. It was also called Aki-Kōriyama Castle from its location in former Aki Province. Its ruins have been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1940.
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Tokushima Castle
📍 Tokushima
Tokushima Castle was an Edo period Japanese castle located in the city of Tokushima, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1957. Its Omotegoten Gardens are designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty.
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Imabari Castle
📍 Ehime
Imabari Castle is a Japanese castle in Imabari, Ehime, Japan. It was the center of Imabari Domain during the Edo Period Tokugawa shogunate and was ruled by a branch of the Hisamatsu-Matsudaira clan for most of its history.
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Matsuyama Castle
📍 Ehime
Matsuyama Castle is a "flatland-mountain"-style Japanese castle that was built in 1603 on Mount Katsuyama, in the city of Matsuyama in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. The castle is one of twelve Japanese castles to still have its original tenshu. The castle has been protected as a National Historic Site since 1952. It is also called Iyo-Matsuyama Castle to disambiguate it from Bitchū Matsuyama Castle in Okayama. Tsuyama Castle and Himeji Castle were also built in a similar style around the same time period.
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Uwajima Castle
📍 Ehime
Uwajima Castle is a hirayama-jiro Japanese castle located in the city of Uwajima, Ehime, Japan. An alternate name for this castle is Tsurushima-jō. The castle is one of twelve Japanese castles to still have its historical tenshu. It has been protected as a National Historic Site since 1937.
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Yuzuki Castle
📍 Ehime
Yuzuki Castle was a former Japanese castle located in the city of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. During the Muromachi period, it was the stronghold of the Kōno clan, who ruled Iyo Province under the Muromachi shogunate. The ruins of the castle were area designated a National Historic Site.
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Ōzu Castle
📍 Ehime
Ōzu Castle , also known as Jizōgatake Castle , is a castle located in Ōzu, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. The earliest recorded defensive structures date back to the beginning of the 14th century and were supposedly built by Utsunomiya Toyofusa. In 1888, deterioration of the castle keep led to its demolition; it was later rebuilt in 2004 according to traditional construction methods.
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Inuyama Castle
📍 Aichi
Inuyama Castle is a hirayama-style Japanese castle located in the city of Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The castle overlooks the Kiso River, which serves as the border between Aichi and Gifu Prefectures. The tenshu of Inuyama Castle, one of only 12 pre-modern tenshu remaining in existence, has been determined to be one of the oldest remaining tenshu, although Maruoka Castle also makes this claim. The castle has been a National Historic Site since 2018.
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Nagashino Castle
📍 Aichi
Nagashino Castle was a Sengoku period Japanese castle located in what is now Shinshiro, eastern Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is noteworthy as the site of the crucial Battle of Nagashino between the combined forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga against Takeda Katsuyori in 1575. The ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1929, the first time a former castle site had received such protection.
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Nagoya Castle
📍 Aichi
Nagoya Castle is a Japanese castle located in Nagoya, Japan.
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Okazaki Castle
📍 Aichi
Okazaki Castle is a Japanese castle located in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Okazaki Castle was home to the Honda clan, daimyō of Okazaki Domain, but the castle is better known for its association with Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Tokugawa clan. The castle was also known as "Tatsu-jō" (龍城).
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Kasugayama Castle
📍 Niigata
Kasugayama Castle is a Sengoku period yamashiro-style Japanese castle located in the Nakayashiki neighborhood of the city of Jōetsu, Niigata prefecture. It was the primary fortress of the warlord Uesugi Kenshin, and was originally built and ruled by the Nagao clan. It is listed as one of Japan's Top 100 Castles and the ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1935. The castle and its history were mentioned by Takizawa Bakin, and Yamazaki Yoshishige in Tanki manroku. Kasugayama Castle is regarded as among Japan's Five Greatest Mountain Castles, along with Nanao Castle, Odani Castle, Kannonji Castle and Gassantoda Castle. The castle is unofficially called Hachigamine Castle .
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Shibata Castle
📍 Niigata
Shibata Castle is a flatland-style Japanese castle located in the city of Shibata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Throughout the Edo period, Shibata Castle was home to the Mizoguchi clan, daimyō of Shibata Domain. The castle was also known as "Ayame-jō" .
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Edo Castle
📍 Tokyo
Edo Castle is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is therefore also known as Chiyoda Castle . Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate there, and it was the residence of the shōgun and the headquarters of the military government during the Edo period (1603–1867) in Japanese history. After the resignation of the shōgun and the Meiji Restoration, it became the Tokyo Imperial Palace. Some moats, walls and ramparts of the castle survive to this day. However, the grounds were more extensive during the Edo period, with Tokyo Station and the Marunouchi section of the city lying within the outermost moat. It also encompassed Kitanomaru Park, the Nippon Budokan Hall and other current landmarks of the surrounding area.
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Hachiōji Castle
📍 Tokyo
Hachiōji Castle was a Sengoku period Japanese castle, located in what is now the city of Hachiōji, Tokyo, in the Kantō region of Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1951, with the area under protection extended in 2005.
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Banna-ji Temple
📍 Tochigi
Banna-ji (鑁阿寺) is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon tradition in the city of Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, in northern Kantō region of Japan. The honzon of the temple is a statue of Dainichi Nyōrai, leading to the temple's nickname of Dainichisama,. The temple is built on the ruins of the ancestral fortified residence of the Ashikaga clan who ruled Japan during the Muromachi shogunate, and its grounds are a National Historic Site
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Nakagusuku Castle
📍 Okinawa
Nakagusuku Castle is a Ryukyuan gusuku fortification located in the village of Kitanakagusuku, Okinawa, Japan. It is known for being the best-preserved of any gusuku ruins, and the six courtyards of this fortress with stacked stone walls make it a prime example of a gusuku. It has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1972. The designated area is 110,473 square meters, of which 14,473 square meters is the castle grounds. In November 2000, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, along with the Shuri Castle ruins and others.
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Nakijin Castle
📍 Okinawa
Nakijin Castle was a Ryūkyūan gusuku fortification located in the village of Nakijin, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It was also known as Hokuzan Castle or Hokuzangusuku. It has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1972. In November 2000, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, along with the Shuri Castle ruins and others.In the late 14th century, the island of Okinawa consisted of three principalities: Nanzan to the south, Chūzan in the central area, and Hokuzan in the north. Nakijin was the capital of Hokuzan and Nakijin Castle was the seat of the King of Hokuzan. It is today known for the Hikan cherries which bloom in northern Okinawa between mid-January and early February, providing the first cherry blossoms each year in Japan.
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Shuri Castle
📍 Okinawa
Shuri Castle is a Ryukyuan gusuku castle in the historic Shuri district of Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Between 1429 and 1879, it was the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom, before becoming largely neglected. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroyed. The site of Shuri Castle has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1972.
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Azuchi Castle
📍 Shiga
Azuchi Castle was one of the primary castles of Oda Nobunaga located in the Azuchi neighborhood of the city of Ōmihachiman, Shiga Prefecture. The site of the castle was designated a National Historic Site in 1926, with the designation upgraded to that of a Special National Historic Site in 1952. The castle is located within the grounds of the Biwako Quasi-National Park.
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Hikone Castle
📍 Shiga
Hikone Castle is an Edo-period Japanese castle located in the city of Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. It is considered the most significant historical site in Shiga. The site has been protected as a National Historic Site since 1951. Hikone is one of only twelve castles in Japan with its original tenshu, and one of only five castles with buildings listed as National Treasures.
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Kannonji Castle
📍 Shiga
Kannonji Castle was a Sengoku period yamashiro-style Japanese castle located in what is now the Azuchi neighborhood of the city of Ōmihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1982, with the area under protection expanded in 1984. The castle was named after Kannonshō-ji, a Buddhist temple near the peak of the mountain.
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Odani Castle
📍 Shiga
Odani Castle was a Sengoku period mountain-top Japanese castle located in the former town of Kohoku, now part of Nagahama city, in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Only the ruins remain today. It was the home castle of the Azai clan and the mountain it was built upon was considered to be impregnable. The castle fell during Oda Nobunaga's siege in the Genki and Tenshō eras, in 1573. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 2005.
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Hitoyoshi Castle
📍 Kumamoto
Hitoyoshi Castle was an Edo period flatlands-style Japanese castle located in the city of Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1961. It is No.93 on the list "100 Fine Castles of Japan". Since the Sagara clan was appointed jitō n the Kamakura period, the clan inhabited this castle for 35 generations, for 670 years until the Meiji restoration of 1871.
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Kumamoto Castle
📍 Kumamoto
Kumamoto Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle located in Chūō-ku, Kumamoto, in Kumamoto Prefecture. It was a large and well-fortified castle. The castle keep is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960, but a number of ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original castle. Kumamoto Castle is considered one of the three premier castles in Japan, along with Himeji Castle and Matsumoto Castle. Thirteen structures in the castle complex are designated Important Cultural Property.
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Kanazawa Castle
📍 Ishikawa
Kanazawa Castle is a large, partially restored Japanese castle in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. It is located adjacent to the celebrated Kenroku-en Garden, which once formed the castle's private outer garden. It was the headquarters of Kaga Domain, ruled by the Maeda clan for 14 generations from the Sengoku period until the coming of the Meiji Restoration in 1871.
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Nanao Castle
📍 Ishikawa
Nanao Castle was a Muromachi period yamajiro-style Japanese castle located in what is now the city of Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1934.
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Odawara Castle
📍 Kanagawa
Odawara Castle is a reconstructed Japanese castle in the city of Odawara in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
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Ichijōdani Asakura Family Historic Ruins
📍 Fukui
The Ichijōdani Asakura Family Historic Ruins are historic ruins located in the Kidonouchi section of the city of Fukui, Fukui Prefecture, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. This area was controlled by the Asakura clan for 103 years during the Sengoku period. It was designated as a Special Historic Site in 1971, and in June 2007, 2,343 artifacts were designated as Important Cultural Properties.
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Maruoka Castle
📍 Fukui
Maruoka Castle is a hirayama-style Japanese castle located in the Maruoka neighbourhood of the city of Sakai, Fukui Prefecture, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. It also called Kasumi-ga-jō due to the legend that whenever an enemy approaches the castle, a thick mist appears and hides it. Built at the end of the Sengoku period, the castle was occupied by a succession of daimyō of Maruoka Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. The site is now a public park noted for its sakura. The castle's relatively small tenshu claims to be the oldest in the country, a claim which is challenged by both Inuyama Castle and Matsumoto Castle.
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Fukuoka Castle
📍 Fukuoka
Fukuoka Castle is a Japanese castle located in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. It is also known as Maizuru Castle or Seki Castle. Completed in the early Edo period for tozama daimyō Kuroda Nagamasa, it has been designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1957.
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Ōno Castle
📍 Fukuoka
Ōno Castle was an ancient castle (also known as a Korean-style fortresses in Japan straddling the border of the cities of Ōnojō and Dazaifu, and the town of Umi, Fukuoka Prefecture Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1932, and raised to a Special Historic Site since 1953 with the area under protection expanded in 2012. The name of Ōnojō City comes from this castle; however, approximately 80% of the castle area is within the boundaries of Umi Town.
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Aizuwakamatsu Castle
📍 Fukushima
Tsuruga Castle , also known as Aizuwakamatsu Castle is a Japanese castle in northern Japan, at the center of the city of Aizuwakamatsu, in Fukushima Prefecture.
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Komine Castle
📍 Fukushima
Komine Castle is a Japanese castle located in what is now the city of Shirakawa, southern Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Throughout the middle to later Edo period, Komine Castle was home to the Abe clan, daimyō of Shirakawa Domain. It was also referred to as Shirakawa-Komine Castle or simply Shirakawa Castle . The castle is one of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan, and in 2007 was designated a National Historic Site. It should not be confused with the older Shirakawa Castle also located in Shirakawa, Fukushima, also known as Karame-jō (搦目城) or Yūki-Shirakawa-jō (結城白川城). The castle grounds are also a noted venue for viewing sakura in spring.
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Nihonmatsu Castle
📍 Fukushima
Nihonmatsu Castle is a Japanese castle located in what is now the city of Nihonmatsu, northern Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Throughout most of the Edo period, Nihonmatsu Castle was home to the Niwa clan, daimyō of Nihonmatsu Domain. The castle was also known as "Kasumi-ga-jō" (霞ヶ城) or "Shirahata-jō" (白旗城). The castle is one of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan, and in 2007 was designated a National Historic Site. The castle grounds are also a noted venue for viewing sakura in spring.
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Kubota Castle
📍 Akita
Kubota Castle is a Japanese castle in Akita, Akita Prefecture, Japan. Throughout the Edo period, Kubota Castle was home to the Satake clan, daimyō of Kubota Domain, rulers of northern Dewa Province. The castle was also known as "Yadome-jō" (矢留城) or "Kuzune-jō" (葛根城). In the official documents of the Tokugawa shogunate, the castle was called "Akita-jō" (秋田城), although this name is now more commonly used to refer to the Nara period fortified settlement of Akita Castle which was nearby.
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Kanayama Castle
📍 Gunma
Kanayama Castle was a Sengoku period yamashiro-style castle located on top of Mount Kanayama in what is now Ōta, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. The site has been protected as a National Historic Site since 1990. The castle was also known as Ōta Kanayama Castle or as Nitta Kanayama Castle.
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Minowa Castle
📍 Gunma
Minowa Castle was a "hirayama"-style castle located in the Misato neighborhood of the city of Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. The ruins have been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1987.
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Mito Castle
📍 Ibaraki
Mito Castle was a 12th-century Japanese castle with an extensive history, now in ruins, located in what was Hitachi Province. The castle ruins are located in the city of Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
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Hirado Castle
📍 Nagasaki
Hirado Castle was the seat of the Matsura clan, the daimyō of Hirado Domain, of Hizen Province, Kyūshū. It is located in present-day Hirado city Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It was also known as Kameoka Castle .
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Shimabara Castle
📍 Nagasaki
Shimabara Castle , also known as Moritake Castle and Takaki Castle , is a Japanese castle located in Shimabara, Hizen Province. This five-story white building stands in stark contrast to the black Kumamoto Castle in neighboring Kumamoto Prefecture.
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Komoro Castle
📍 Nagano
Komoro Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Komoro, central Nagano Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Komoro Castle was home to a junior branch of the Makino clan, daimyō of Komoro Domain. It was also known as Ana-jō or Hakatsuru-jō . Today, it is open to public as Kaikoen (懐古園).
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Matsumoto Castle
📍 Nagano
Matsumoto Castle , originally known as Fukashi Castle, is one of Japan's premier historic castles, along with Himeji and Kumamoto. It was the seat of Matsumoto Domain under the Edo Period Tokugawa shogunate. It is located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture.
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Matsushiro Castle
📍 Nagano
Matsushiro Castle , formerly known as Kaizu Castle, is a Japanese castle located in former Matsushiro town, now part of Nagano City. The site is a registered National Historic Site of Japan.
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Takatō Castle
📍 Nagano
Takatō Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Ina, southern Nagano Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Takatō Castle was home to a cadet branch of the Naitō clan, daimyō of Takatō Domain. The castle was also known as Kabuto Castle . Built sometime in the 16th century, it is now largely in ruins.
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Ueda Castle
📍 Nagano
Ueda Castle is a Japanese castle located in Ueda, northern Nagano Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Ueda Castle was home to a cadet branch of the Matsudaira clan, daimyō of Ueda Domain, but the castle is better known for its association with the Sengoku period Sanada clan. It was also called Amagafuji-jō or Matsuo-jō. The castle was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1934.
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Hirosaki Castle
📍 Aomori
Hirosaki Castle is a hirayama-style Japanese castle constructed in 1611. It was the seat of the Tsugaru clan, a 47,000 koku tozama daimyō clan who ruled over Hirosaki Domain, Mutsu Province, in what is now central Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It was also referred to as Takaoka Castle .
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Ne Castle
📍 Aomori
Ne Castle is a Muromachi period Motte-and-bailey-style Japanese castle located in what is now the city of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of far northern Japan. It has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1941. It was extensively reconstructed in 1994.
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Kakegawa Castle
📍 Shizuoka
Kakegawa Castle is a hirayama-style Japanese castle. It was the seat of various fudai daimyō clans who ruled over Kakegawa Domain, Tōtōmi Province, in what is now central Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
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Sunpu Castle
📍 Shizuoka
Sunpu Castle is a Japanese castle in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan. The sobriquet of this feudal fortress was the "Castle of the Floating Isle". It was also referred to as Fuchu Castle or Shizuoka Castle .
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Yamanaka Castle
📍 Shizuoka
Yamanaka Castle was a Sengoku period yamajiro-style Japanese castle, built by the Odawara Hōjō clan in Tagata District, Izu Province, in what is now eastern Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The ruins have been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1988.
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Marugame Castle
📍 Kagawa
Marugame Castle is an Edo Period Japanese castle in the city of Marugame, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is located in the center of Marugame city, in former Sanuki Province on the island of Shikoku. During the Edo Period, it was the center of Marugame Domain, ruled by the tozama Kyōgoku clan under the Tokugawa Shogunate. The castle site has been protected as a National Historic Site since 1953. Marugame Castle is one of only a dozen Japanese castles to have an original wooden 'tenshu' built before 1860.
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Takamatsu Castle
📍 Kagawa
Takamatsu Castle is a Japanese castle located in central Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku, Japan. It is also called Tamamo Castle , literally "seaweed castle," for its seawater moats. The castle was headquarters of the Takamatsu Domain, which ruled eastern Sanuki Province from 1588 to 1869. It is now a park. The castle site has been a National Historic Site since 1955. This castle is one of three in Japan to use seawater moats, along with Imabari Castle in Ehime Prefecture and Nakatsu Castle in Ōita Prefecture.
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Kōchi Castle
📍 Kōchi
Kōchi Castle is an Edo Period Japanese castle in the city of Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. It is located at Otakayama hill, at the center of Kōchi city, which in turn is located at the center of the Kōchi Plain, the most prosperous area of former Tosa Province on the island of Shikoku. From 1601 to 1871, it was the center of Tosa Domain, ruled by the tozama Yamauchi clan under the Tokugawa Shogunate. The castle site has been protected as a National Historic Site since 1959, with the area under protection expanded in 2014.
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Tottori Castle
📍 Tottori
Tottori Castle was a Japanese castle located in Tottori, Tottori Prefecture in the San'in Region of western Japan. It has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1957 with the area under protection expanded in 1987. The Historical Site designation also includes the Taikōganaru (太閤ヶ平) fortification erected by Toyotomi Hideyoshi during the 1581 Siege of Tottori.
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Kagoshima Castle
📍 Kagoshima
Kagoshima Castle was an Edo period flatland-style Japanese castle located in the city of Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 2023. Kagoshima Castle was listed as one of Japan's Top 100 Castles by the Japan Castle Foundation in 2006.). It is more popular known in Kagoshima as Tsurumaru Castle (鶴丸城)