CNN Top 10 Castles in Japan are well-preserved tourist attractions with rich history and magnificent architecture.
Hikone Castle
Hikone is an Edo-period castle in Edo City, Shiga Prefecture. It is considered the most important historical building in the province, having been declared a national treasure by the government. Much of the structure surrounding the castle has survived since its completion in 1622.
Hirosaki Castle
Located in Aomori Prefecture, Hirosaki was built during the Edo period (1603-1868) and surrounded by fortified moats. In 1627 lightning destroyed the five-story building. At the beginning of the 19th century, the site was remodeled to its current state with a three-story building. The castle also attracts tourists in spring when more than 2,600 cherry trees are in full bloom in the gardens surrounding the castle.
Shurijo Castle
Located in the city of Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, Shuri-jo Castle is surrounded by massive walls and painted red. Built in the 14th century under the Ryukyu Dynasty, Shuri-jo was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
The castle was severely damaged by fire in 2019. The Japanese government is working to restore the main buildings intact, which is expected to be completed in 2026.
Edo Castle
Edo Castle was built in 1457 and is surrounded by a 15 km long moat with over 30 gates and bridges. The castle was located on flat land in the Chiyoda district of present-day Tokyo. During the Edo period, it was the residence of the shoguns for over 260 years and was once the political center of Japan.
Currently, the Imperial Palace (imperial residence) is being built on the site of Edo Castle. One of the oldest surviving buildings from the Edo period is the Fujimi-yagura watch tower (pictured), built in 1659 to guard the southern part of the castle grounds.
Matsumoto Castle
Built in the 16th century for the leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the black-walled castle overlooks the Northern Alps from the town of Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture. The Japanese Alps are the collective name for three mountain ranges in the Chubu region of Honshu, including Hida (Northern Alps), Kiso (Central Alps), and Akaishi (Southern Alps).
The castle from the year is also known as Castello del Corvo. Most of the architecture remains today, with steep wooden staircases and a lunar observation hall. Matsumoto was declared a national treasure of Japan in 1936.
Osaka Castle
This is one of the most famous monuments in the country and played an important role during the Sengoku period. , 1467-1615), a resident of Osaka Prefecture. The castle belonged to the shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi, then the Tokugawa clan.
Osaka has 5 outdoor floors and 8 indoor floors, making it a popular destination during the Cherry Blossom Festival season. There are many food stalls for tourists around the citadel.
Nijo Castle
It was the official residence of the Shogun(Shogun) of the Edo period. After the Meiji Restoration (Meiji Revolution) in 1866-1869, the castle became the Imperial Palace. Today it is one of 17 monuments open to the public in Kyoto and is on the UNESCO list.
Inuyama Castle
The castle, one of the five fortresses in the National Treasure, once belonged to the leader Oda Nobunaga, who was the first to try to unify Japan. It houses the oldest original tenshu (defense tower) in the country, dating back to 1580.
The castle is located on a hill, giving the ancient samurai a good view of the surrounding plains and the Kiso River in Aichi Prefecture. Today, visitors can admire the town and the surrounding forest.
Himeji Castle
Himeji’s nickname is “White Heron Castle” to describe the grandeur of this 700-year-old building. The castle consists of white-painted multi-story buildings and is located on a hill in the city of Himeji, which was originally a plain.
Built in the early 13th century, the building has been rebuilt several times under the leadership of famous warlords such as Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. It is now on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Near Himeji is the Okiku Fountain. According to legend, it is the seat of the servant spirit. This fountain is the location that inspired the horror films Ringu (1998) and The Ring (2002).
Matsue Castle
Matsue Castle, built in the early 17th century near Lake Shinji in Shimane Prefecture, is one of the few remaining ruins on Japan’s west coast.
The original purpose of the building was to help the new shogun, the Tokugawa Ieyasu shogunate, to consolidate his power over the region. Today it is a tourist attraction thanks to its stately black walls and multi-story gray roofs rising above the moat in the center of Matsue’s old town.