7 Castles in Tottori worth your time

This castle site offers unique dual-tower design ruins and panoramic views from its mountaintop location.

What it is

• Castle site, headquarters of the Nakamura clan.
• Built in stages, reached final form in 1602.
• Declared a National Historical Landmark in 2006.

What to see

• Abstract composition of stone walls, slopes, and stairs.
• Unusual dual-tower arrangement (no longer standing).
• Uppermost terraces with views of city, Mt. Daisen, Lake Nakaumi, Sea of Japan.
• Independent enclosures for defense, like Naizen Maru.
• Ofunade Kuruwa (ship harbor enclosure) with wharves and boathouses.

Getting there

• 15-minute climb along winding paths and stairs to upper terraces.

Read more about Yonago Castle

Kawahara Castle offers a reconstructed castle tower with a museum and scenic river views.

What it is

• A fort for Ofurisodeyama Castle, formally Maruyama Castle.
• Built on a strategic small hill overlooking the Chiyogawa River.
• A camp was set up here in 1580.
• A simulated castle tower was built on the castle ruins.

What to see

• The simulated castle tower, opened in September 1994.
• The tower's interior: a tourist information center and museum.
• A letter of appreciation from Hideyoshi Hashiba.
• Kuruwa remains and dry moats still exist.

Address

鳥取県鳥取市河原町谷一木1011 Map

Official site

www.kawahara-shiro.com

Read more about Kawahara Castle

Explore Ueshi Castle's ruins and mock keep, a National Historic Site with panoramic views.

What it is

• Medieval Japanese castle ruins in Tottori Prefecture.
• Built by Nanjo Sadamune in 1366.
• Base for the Nanjo clan from Eiroku to Tensho eras.
• Designated as a National Historic Site.

What to see

• Castle ruins on Mount Ueshi, south of Lake Togo.
• Three-story mock tenshu built on the mountaintop in 1990.
• Main enclosure is 66 meters east-west and 20 meters north-south.
• Over 90 forts arranged radially on northern and western ridges.

Address

東伯郡湯梨浜町羽衣石 Map

Read more about Ueshi Castle

Explore Tottori Castle ruins, a National Historic Site with a rich past and impressive stone remains.

What it is

• A Japanese castle from the Sengoku to Edo periods.
• Designated a National Historic Site.
• Known as Hisamatsu Castle or Hisamatsuyama Castle.
• Called the 'Museum of Castles' for its architectural changes.

What to see

• Tenshu-dai (main keep base) remains.
• Extensive stone walls and moats.
• Historic wells within the grounds.
• Restored main gate (2021).
• Restored main bridge (2018).

Official site

www.city.tottori.lg.jp

Read more about Tottori Castle

Explore Wakasa Oniga Castle, a mountain-top ruin with medieval and early modern history.

What it is

• A Japanese castle built around 1200 by Yabe Terutane.
• One of the three famous castles of Inaba.
• Designated a national historic site in 2008.
• Selected as one of the Continued 100 Fine Castles of Japan.

What to see

• Castle ruins on a 452-meter mountain.
• Remains from both medieval and early modern periods.
• Stone walls showing destruction from 1617.

Read more about Wakasa Oniga Castle

Explore Tenjinyama Castle ruins, a Sengoku-period hill castle with remaining moats and a rock mass.

What it is

• A Japanese hill castle in Inaba Province.
• It was the shugosho of Inaba Province.
• Designated a historical site of Tottori Prefecture.
• Abandoned around 1573.

What to see

• A 5-meter-high rock mass remains on Tenjinyama.
• A well remains on Tenjinyama.
• Part of the moats exist as agricultural waterways.
• Excavated moat is 12m wide and 1.7m deep.

Address

鳥取市湖山町南 Map

Read more about Tenjinyama Castle (Inaba)

Explore the ruins of Shikano Castle, a historic site with a rich samurai past.

What it is

• A designated historic site in Tottori City.
• Home to the Shikano clan.
• Rebuilt into a modern castle in 1580.
• Demolished in 1644.

What to see

• Castle ruins.
• Parts of the castle and town named after Buddhist terms.
• Tiles with the Kamei family crest.

Read more about Shikano Castle