10 Castles in Kyoto worth your time

This park is built on a historic castle site, notable as the home of Hosokawa Gracia.

What it is

• City park on the site of a 16th-century castle.
• Dedicated to warlord Hosokawa Tadaoki and Hosokawa Gracia.
• Gracia is a beloved figure in novels, dramas, and games.
• Original castle built in the mid-16th century.

What to see

• Moat and castle walls with turrets.
• Keep-like structure with exhibition space.
• Strolling garden, koi pond, cherry and maple trees.
• Small bamboo grove and statues of Tadaoki and Gracia.
• Exhibition room with diagrams, timeline, excavated items, and video.

When to go

• Spring for bright red azaleas lining the moat.
• Second Sunday of November for the Nagaokakyo Gracia Festival.

Read more about Shōryūji Castle

Fukuchiyama Castle: a restored castle with a museum, built by a famous samurai.

What it is

• A hirayamajiro type of Japanese castle.
• Residence of the Fukuchiyama Domain in the Edo period.
• Established by Akechi Mitsuhide.
• Designated a city historic site in 1965.

What to see

• Restored main keep and small keep.
• Fukuchiyama City Museum of Local History.
• Stone walls with repurposed stones from temples and graves.
• Yura River, which served as a natural moat.

Official site

www.fukuchiyamacastle.jp

Read more about Fukuchiyama Castle

Explore Kameyama Castle ruins, a historic site with a unique modern religious connection.

What it is

• A castle built by Akechi Mitsuhide in 1578.
• Served as a base for ruling the Tanba region.
• Purchased by the Omoto religion in 1919.
• Now houses the headquarters of the Omoto religion.

What to see

• View the castle's keep base.
• Observe the remaining stone walls.
• See the castle's moats.

Getting there

• 10-minute walk from Kameoka Station.

Read more about Kameyama Castle

Explore a shogun's castle, a UNESCO site with stunning gardens and historic palace buildings.

What it is

• A castle built by Tokugawa Ieyasu.
• Served as a residence for the Shogun.
• Became an imperial villa in 1884.
• Opened to the public in 1940.

What to see

• The entire castle grounds are a National Historic Site.
• Ninomaru Palace is a National Treasure.
• Ninomaru Garden is a Special Place of Scenic Beauty.
• A UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

Official site

nijo-jocastle.city.kyoto.lg.jp

Read more about Nijō Castle

Explore the ruins of a large 16th-century mountaintop castle built by Akechi Mitsuhide.

What it is

• A Japanese castle built by Akechi Mitsuhide.
• Constructed in 1580.
• Located between Kyoto and Wakasa.

What to see

• Castle ruins scattered on eight branch ridges.
• East Castle had a main enclosure with a keep.
• Remaining stone walls and a well.

When to go

• Mitsuhide invited guests for moon viewing in 1581.

Read more about Shūzan Castle

Explore Yodo Castle ruins, a former Edo-period daimyo residence built with materials from other castles.

What it is

• A castle built by order of Tokugawa Hidetada in 1623.
• It was a residence for various daimyo families.
• Materials from Fushimi Castle and Nijo Castle were used.

What to see

• Parts of the main keep's stone walls remain.
• Moats are still present.
• A castle ruin was discovered within Kyoto Racecourse.

Read more about Yodo Castle

This temple features a unique ceiling made from Fushimi Castle floorboards, stained with samurai blood from a 16th-century siege.

What it is

• A memorial to samurai who died in 1600.
• Ceiling made from floorboards of Fushimi Castle.

What to see

• Unusual ceiling in the Main Hall corridor.
• Floorboards stained with blood of hundreds of samurai.
• Bloody imprints of 380 men.
• Body and face of Torii Mototada in the bloodstained ceiling.

Address

〒612-0853　京都府京都市伏見区桃山町古城山大蔵４５ Map

Read more about Fushimi Castle

Visit Tanabe Castle for reconstructed gate, stone wall, and a museum detailing its history and siege.

What it is

• Castle ruins, now Maizuru Park.
• Built in 1582 for Hosokawa Fujitaka.
• Mostly leveled in 1874.

What to see

• Stone ramparts and foundation stones.
• Reconstructed main gate and stone wall.
• Museum above the gate.
• Artifacts from the castle site in the museum.

Read more about Tanabe Castle

Miyazu Castle: a historic castle site with remnants of its past, worth visiting for history enthusiasts.

What it is

• A Japanese castle built by Hosokawa Fujitaka.
• It was the center of Tango administration.
• Served as headquarters for the Kyogoku family.

What to see

• A drum gate remains at Miyazu Elementary School.
• A restored castle wall along the Ote River.

Read more about Miyazu Castle

Visit Makishima Castle ruins to see a stone monument marking a historic island fortress.

What it is

• A former Japanese castle.
• Built by the Makishima clan.
• Abandoned after Fushimi Castle was built.

What to see

• Only a stone monument remains today.

Read more about Makishima Castle