Uwajima CastleUwajima City, Ehime Prefecture

Autumn Uwajima Castle 1Autumn Uwajima Castle 2Autumn Uwajima Castle 3Autumn Uwajima Castle 4
Uwajima Castle in winter 1Uwajima Castle in winter 2Uwajima Castle in winter 3Uwajima Castle in winter 4Uwajima Castle in winter 5Uwajima Castle in winter 6Uwajima Castle in winter 7Uwajima Castle in winter 8Uwajima Castle in winter 9Uwajima Castle in winter 10
  • Autumn Uwajima Castle 1
  • Autumn Uwajima Castle 2
  • Autumn Uwajima Castle 3
  • Autumn Uwajima Castle 4
  • Uwajima Castle in winter 1
  • Uwajima Castle in winter 2
  • Uwajima Castle in winter 3
  • Uwajima Castle in winter 4
  • Uwajima Castle in winter 5
  • Uwajima Castle in winter 6
  • Uwajima Castle in winter 7
  • Uwajima Castle in winter
  • Uwajima Castle in winter 9
  • Uwajima Castle in winter 10
Uwajima Castle DATA
Other nameTsurushima Castle, Itajimamarukushi Castle
castle construction1596
address3 Marunouchi, Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture
telephone number0895-49-7033
Opening hours6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (varies depending on the season)
closing dayNo holidays
Admission feeAdults 200 yen / Elementary and junior high school students free

Uwajima Castle is one of the 12 existing castle towers. The castle was built by Takatora Todo, a famous castle builder, and later became the residence of the 9th generation of the Date family.

Access to Uwajima Castle
From Imabari Station on the JR Yosan Line, take the Setouchi Bus bound for Imabari Office for about 10 minutes and get off at Uwajimajo-mae, then walk for about 3 minutes.

HISTORYUwajima Castle was built by master castle builder Todo Takatora

Uwajima Castle is a flat castle built in 1601 by the famous castle builder Todo Takatora in what is now Marunouchi, Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture. When the castle was built, there was a moat filled with seawater on the east side of the castle, and the western half of the castle faced the sea, so it was also a water castle that suppressed water transport.
Let's unravel the history of Uwajima Castle.

See more
The predecessor of Uwajima Castle
In the place where Uwajima Castle was built, there was a castle called Itajimamarukushi Castle. This land originally belonged to a government official named Tachibana Enpo, and it is said that he was given this land for his efforts in quelling the Fujiwara Sumitomo Rebellion. This fort built by Tachibana Enpo was the beginning of Itajima Marukushi Castle, and in 1203, when the Tachibana clan was replaced and Kimitsune Saionji was appointed as Chigyo no shu of Iyo Province, this area was built. redevelopment will begin. At the end of the Muromachi period, when the Otomo clan of Bungo began actively invading Uwajima, Itajimamarukushi Castle was converted from a fort into a castle. Afterwards, Uwajima became the territory of Takakage Kobayakawa after Toyotomi Hideyoshi conquered Shikoku. In 1595, the land of Uwajima was given to Todo Takatora. Todo Takatora renamed the area, which was then called Itajima, Uwajima, and began full-scale construction of a castle on the site of Itajima Marukushi Castle, which had fallen into disrepair due to uprisings.
Uwajima Castle in the Edo period
Construction of the castle by Takatora Todo was completed in 1601. When Uwajima Castle was first constructed, it was a flat, echelon-style castle with the Honmaru on the top of a hill at an altitude of 74 meters, the Ninomaru, Fujibeimaru, and Daiemonmaru surrounding it, and the Sannomaru at the base. The style of the temple, with its walls concentrated at the top of the mountain, is medieval, but it also has a modern structure with Oite-mon and Ushi-te-mon gates at the foot of the mountain. Afterwards, Todo Takatora was transferred to the Isetsu domain in 1608. After Todo Takatora was transferred, the position of lord of the Uwajima domain passed to Nobutaka Tomita and then to Hidemune Date. Date Hidemune relocated the Senjojiki Palace from Fushimi Castle, which was a gift from Hidetada Tokugawa, to Sannomaru. From around this time, the name Uwajima Castle became established. In 1649, a major earthquake struck Uwajima, causing the collapse of 116 stone walls and 780 long folding screens of Uwajima Castle. The restoration of the castle took place from 1650 to around 1666. The castle tower that was rebuilt at this time is the one that still exists. At this time, the castle was delivered to the Shogunate as a ``repair'', but in reality it was almost completely rebuilt, and today only a few traces of the castle built by Todo Takatora remain, such as the stone walls. After that, Uwajima Castle suffered another major blow during the Great Ansei Earthquake in 1854. After that, in 1860, Uwajima Castle was restored again in Mannobu's major renovation, and it remained as it was until the end of the Edo period.
Uwajima Castle after the Meiji period
In 1871, Uwajima Castle belonged to the Ministry of Military Affairs of the Meiji government and came under the jurisdiction of Osaka Chindai. Afterwards, most of the excavation was filled in due to the renovation of Uwajima Port, and buildings other than the castle tower, such as the castle gate and turret, were also demolished. On the other hand, in 1934, the castle tower and Otemon (Otemon) were designated as national treasures in accordance with prewar laws. In 1937, it was designated as a national historic site and placed under the management of Uwajima City.
In 1945, the Otemon Gate was destroyed in an air raid at the end of the war.
In 1949, the Date family, who served as the lords of the castle until the end of the Edo period, donated most of the castle mountain, including the castle tower, to Uwajima City.
In 1950, the castle tower of Uwajima Castle was designated as an important cultural property under the Important Cultural Properties Protection Law.
It was designated as one of Japan's 100 Famous Castles in 2006.
Current Uwajima Castle
Today's Uwajima Castle is both a tourist attraction in Uwajima City and a treasure trove of rare plants. Uwajima Castle has been spared from development or deforestation for about 300 years since the mid-Edo period, so some plants can only be found here in Uwajima City, making it a sacred place for plant lovers. The Uwajima Castle Festival is held every year during Golden Week and attracts tourists from all over the country.

Read biographies related to Uwajima Castle

Takatora TodoA master of castle construction who served many lords.
Todo Takatora was born in 1556 in Todo Village, Inukami Gun, Omi Province (Shiga Prefecture) as the second son of Todo Takatora. His childhood name is Yokichi. His father, Torataka, was born as the second son of Noritsuna Mitsui, the lord of Omi Nazue Castle, but when he was young,
Read Todo Takatora
Takatora Todo

History of the Uwajima clan, whose domain office is Uwajima Castle

Uwajima domainRuled by the Date family
The Uwajima Domain was ruled by the Uwajima Date family, whose ancestors were Todo Takatora, Tomita Nobutaka, and Date Masamune's eldest son, Date Hidemune, although he was an illegitimate son. The Uwajima domain has been repeatedly attacked by natural disasters, and its castle has been severely damaged twice. The Uwajima clan
Read Uwajima Domain
Uwajima domain
Uwajima clan DATA
Domain officeUwajima Castle
old areaUwajima, Iyo Province
stone height102,000 koku
Fudai/TozamaForeigner
main lordTomita family, Date family
Estimated population170,000 people (first year of the Meiji era)
Japanese Castle Photo Contest.03