Marugame Castle

Marugame, Japan, Japan

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Marugame Castle, also called Kameyama Castle or Hōrai Castle, is a hilltop castle in the center of Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku, and one of the very few remaining castles in Japan that still has its original wooden keep from before 1868.

The first stage of the castle was built between 1597 and 1602 by Ikoma Chikamasa, but in 1615 the shogunate’s “one castle per province” rule forced it to be abandoned; after Sanuki Province was split, the castle was rebuilt on Kameyama Hill in 1660 and then served as the seat of Marugame Domain under the Kyougoku clan for much of the Edo period, with many buildings lost to fire over time so that today only the main keep and several gates survive.

The site is famous for its towering stone walls, which rise about 60 meters on four levels and are considered the highest in Japan, and for its strategic position overlooking one of the narrowest parts of the Seto Inland Sea, allowing it to control major shipping lanes.