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.
The castle's history dates back to 941 when initial fortifications were built on the hill. In 1236, these were expanded, and the castle was known as Marukushi Castle. The Chosokabe clan later controlled it, facing attacks from the powerful Otomo clan. In 1585, Toyotomi Hideyoshi seized the castle during his campaign to conquer Shikoku, placing his retainers in charge. The Todo clan was awarded the domain in 1595, leading to a major restoration by the renowned castle architect, Todo Takatora. The castle was renamed Uwajima in 1601, just before the Todo clan was transferred to Imabari Castle, and the Tomita clan took over.
In 1615, Date Hidemune, from the Sendai-based Date clan, was given control of the castle, with his descendants ruling until the end of the Edo period. While the basic layout of the castle remains from Takatora’s era, the Date clan completed the stone walls, gates, and yagura. The keep, built in the 1670s and designated an Important Cultural Property, is one of the smallest in Japan. Its entranceway roofing was added around 1850.
The keep's base, the Tenshu-dai, features precisely cut stones with a narrow ledge around the top, known as an Inu-michi or "Dog’s Walk." This design was due to the erosion of the softer natural stone beneath, necessitating a stronger stone cap.
Inside the keep, the third floor houses a design model from the early Edo period used for construction and repairs. Unique to Uwajima and Himeji castles are the long, thin ventilation windows on this floor, designed to vent smoke from matchlock guns. However, the keep's design hindered defensive capabilities, with the triangular roof features limiting window gun firing access and range.
Most visitors enter from the gate at the bottom of the hill, originally the main gate of the Kori clan residence. The main castle gate, Nobori-Tachi-Mon, is on the mountain's opposite side. This old Yakui-Mon gate, the largest and oldest in Japan, was built between 1596 and 1615. Unlike the typical Korai-Mon gates, this rare gate lacks reinforcing beams and a U-shaped roof.
Historically, the bottom of the hill met the ocean, providing natural protection and allowing ships to enter the castle. However, land reclamation projects since the Edo period have left the castle inland.
Uwajima Castle was abandoned in 1871, with most structures demolished by 1900. The Ote Mon, the main gate, was destroyed during WWII bombing. In 1950, the castle was designated an Important Cultural Property. Besides the keep and stone walls, the remaining Yamazato Kura, built in 1845 and relocated in 1966, serves as a simple museum.
See also
-
Wakayama Castle
Wakayama Castle was built in 1585, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered his uterine brother, Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hidenaga, to construct a castle on the site of the recently captured Ota Castle. The purpose of this construction was to secure control over the likewise newly conquered Province of Kii. Following an already established tradition, Hidenaga entrusted the project to his castle-building expert, Todo Takatora. Takatora carefully inspected the future castle site, personally drew up several designs, created a model of the planned castle, and took part in the work of laying out the grounds (nawabari). For the construction he brought in more than 10,000 workers and completed the large-scale project within a single year, which was considered extremely fast by the standards of the time.
Toyama Castle
Toyama Castle is located almost in the very center of the former province of Etchū and is surrounded by a wide plain with a large number of rivers. The very first castle on the banks of the Jinzu River was built in 1543 by Jimbo Nagamoto. The Jimbo clan were vassals of the Hatakeyama clan and governed the western part of Etchū Province. The eastern part of the province belonged to their rivals, the Shiina clan, who were also Hatakeyama vassals. Beginning in the 15th century, the influence of the ancient Hatakeyama clan gradually weakened, and as a result, the Jimbo and the Shiina fought constant wars for control of the province. Meanwhile, the forces of the Ikkō-ikki movement periodically intervened, helping first one side and then the other.
Takada Castle
During the Sengoku period, the lands where Takada Castle would later be built were part of Echigo Province and were controlled by the Uesugi clan.
Kishiwada Castle
The celebrated 14th-century military commander Kusunoki Masashige (1294–1336), who owned extensive lands south of what is now the city of Osaka, ordered one of his vassals, Kishiwada Osamu, to build a fortified residence. This order was carried out around 1336. These fortifications became the first structures on the site of what would later become Kishiwada Castle. From the beginning, the castle stood in a strategically important location—roughly halfway between the cities of Wakayama and Osaka, south of the key port of Sakai. Because of this position, it changed hands several times during periods of warfare.
Kaminoyama Castle
Kamino-yama Castle stood at the center of an important logistics hub, in the middle of the Yonezawa Plain, which served as the gateway to the western part of the Tohoku region. Roads connecting the Aizu, Fukushima, and Yamagata areas intersected here.
Imabari Castle
Tōdō Takatora (1556–1630) served at different times as a vassal of several famous clans—Azai, Oda, Toyotomi, and Tokugawa. He took part in the Battle of Anegawa (1570), the Battle of Shizugatake (1583), the invasions of Kyushu and Korea, the Sekigahara campaign (1600), and the Siege of Osaka (1614–1615).
Iwakuni Castle
Kikkawa Hiroie (1561–1625) was the grandson of the famous daimyo Mori Motonari and a vassal of the Mori clan. Under Mori Terumoto, he fought in both Korean campaigns and took part in the defense of Ulsan Castle. During the Battle of Sekigahara, Hiroie stood with his 3,000-man force on the side of the Western Coalition; however, even before the battle began, he sent Tokugawa Ieyasu a secret message stating that he did not intend to fight Tokugawa’s troops. As a result of his inaction, 15,000 soldiers under Mori Hidemoto were also unable to enter the battle, since Hiroie blocked their path.
Gujo Hachiman Castle
Gujo Hachiman Castle is located on 350-meter Mount Hachiman, near the confluence of the Yoshidagawa and Kodaragava rivers, and not far from the Nagaragawa River. During the Sengoku period, this area was of great strategic importance: it stood at a key crossroads of routes connecting Mino Province in the south with the Sea of Japan in the north, and Hida Province in the east with Echizen Province in the west.
