Imabari Castle

Imabari, Japan, Japan

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Imabari Castle is a historic Japanese coastal flatland castle in the city of Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku, built between 1602 and 1608 by the renowned castle architect Tōdō Takatora as the seat of Imabari Domain during the Edo period.

It is classified as a flatland castle (rinkakushiki) but is most famous for its huge moats that draw seawater directly from the Seto Inland Sea, making it one of the “three great water castles” of Japan along with Takamatsu Castle in Kagawa and Nakatsu Castle in Ōita, and allowing boats to enter the moat to bring in supplies and goods.

The castle served as the political and military center of Imabari Domain for almost three centuries, under lords such as the Hisamatsu-Matsudaira branch of the Tokugawa family, until the Meiji Restoration and the abolition of the han system in 1871, after which the domain was dissolved and the castle grounds came under Ehime Prefecture control.

Much of the original structure was lost or dismantled over time, but the main tower (tenshu) was reconstructed in 1980 using traditional materials and techniques, and now functions as a museum with exhibits on the castle’s history, the Imabari Domain, and local culture, while the castle grounds and stone walls are open to the public free of charge.