Kochi Castle is one of the 12 samurai castles with original keeps. Yamanochi Kazutoyo (Yamauchi Katsutoyo), who was granted Tosa Domain (modern-day Kochi Prefecture in Shikoku) after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, began constructing the castle and residence in 1601. The project took ten years, and the Yamanouchi clan remained at Kochi until the Meiji Restoration.
Kochi Castle makes excellent use of the land's layout. The Kagami and Enokuchi Rivers form a natural outer moat, with the castle perched on Mt. Otasaka. The main Honmaru bailey is situated on a rise to the south, with the Ni-no-Maru occupying the northern hill at a similar elevation. The Ni-no-Maru connects to the Honmaru via a corridor-like bridge called a roka-bashi across a small valley. Directly under the roka-bashi, blocking the valley, is the Tsume-mon gate. The layout deceptively suggests that the Tsume-mon is the entry to the Honmaru. However, any attacking enemy breaching this gate would find themselves heading away from the central precinct. While trying to breach the gate, they could be fired upon from the keep to their left, the gate above, and watchtowers to their right. Instead, entry to the Honmaru is to the right, up a flight of once heavily guarded stone stairs, through the Ni-no-Maru, and across the covered roka-bashi.
In 1727, many central structures, including the tenshu, were damaged by fire. Today, what remains is the rebuilt keep and palace from that period. The remaining tenshu was modeled on the original four-roofed, six-floor tower designed by Yamauchi Kazutoyo, who had wanted a mawarien, a balcony, and railing around the top floor. The reconstructed keep includes this feature. Around the bottom edge of the tenshu are tsuruge spikes called Shinobi Gaeshi, meant to prevent ninja and attackers from climbing the structure. These spikes are found only at Kumamoto, Nagoya, and Kochi Castles, with Kochi uniquely featuring trident-shaped spikes. Kochi Castle’s Honmaru Goten, the lord’s palace, is connected to the base of the main keep, a rare architectural feature. The living quarters occupy the first level of the main keep.
Kochi Castle’s Honmaru is particularly historically valuable, as it is the only castle with all its original structures—keep, palace, gates, and walls—still intact. A total of 15 structures designated National Important Cultural Properties remain at Kochi Castle, including the tenshu, Kaitokukan Honmaru Palace, Nando storehouse, nishi and higashi tamon yagura, Ote, Kurogane, and Roka gates, six wall segments, and the roka-bashi linking the Honmaru to the Ni-no-Maru.
See also
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Shinpu Castle
Shinpu Castle was a Japanese hirayama-style fortress from the Sengoku period, situated in what is now Nirasaki, Yamanashi Prefecture. It served as the main stronghold of warlord Takeda Katsuyori. Designated as a National Historic Site in 1973, the castle occupies a strategic position on a mountain with steep cliffs, overlooking the Kamanashi River to the west of Kofu, where Takeda Shingen’s Tsutsujigasaki Castle once stood.
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Takato Castle
Takato Castle, located in the city of Ina in southern Nagano Prefecture, Japan, was a notable stronghold during the Sengoku period. By the end of the Edo period, it was the residence of a cadet branch of the Naito clan, the daimyo of the Takato Domain. Also known as Kabuto Castle, it was originally constructed in the 16th century and is now mostly in ruins.
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Takatenjin Castle
Takatenjin Castle was a yamashiro-style fortress from Japan's Sengoku period, situated in the Kamihijikata and Shimohijikata districts of Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture. Designated a National Historic Site in 1975, with an expanded protected area in 2007, its ruins remain a significant historical landmark.
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Yoshida Castle
Yoshida Castle is renowned worldwide, particularly through the intricate woodblock prints by Edo Period artist Hiroshige. His famous series, depicting the 53 stages of the Tokaido—the historic route between Kyoto and Edo (modern-day Tokyo)—includes the 34th print, which shows workmen repairing a castle overlooking a wooden bridge crossing a wide river. This scene captures the Toyokawa River at Toyohashi in southeast Aichi Prefecture, and the castle is Yoshida Castle.
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Yamato Koriyama Castle
The impressive ruins of Koriyama Castle sit atop a small hill, surrounded by two rivers. The strategic positioning and strong layout of the castle served it well through the final years of the Sengoku period and the peaceful days of the Edo period.
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Yamanaka Castle
Yamanaka Castle, established by Hojo Ujiyasu in the 1560s, is located in what is now eastern Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture. This castle served as the first line of western defense for the main Hojo Castle at Odawara. Carved into the side of a 586-meter-high mountain, Yamanaka Castle was strategically positioned along the Tokaido Highway, offering superb views of nearby Mt. Fuji, the ocean, and the road leading to Odawara.
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Uwajima Castle
Uwajima Castle, located in Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku, is one of the 12 remaining Japanese castles with an original keep. Known for its small size, Uwajima Castle is relatively difficult to access, which means it is less frequented by tourists.
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Ueda Castle
Ueda Castle in Nagano Prefecture once stood prominently on a cliff overlooking the Saigawa River. Also known as Amagafuchi-Jo, Isesaki-Jo, Matsuo-Jo, and Sanada-Jo, it was built around 1583 by its first master, Sanada Masayuki. This sturdy yet small fortress cleverly utilized the surrounding natural defenses, including the river, steep rocky cliffs, the layout of the town below, and the strategically designed waterways to hinder attackers. Ueda Castle was fortified with seven defensive yagura (watchtowers) atop robust stone walls and had two large gates with watchtowers above them.
