Maruoka Castle

Sakai, Japan, Japan

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Maruoka Castle, also called Kasumi‑ga‑jō (“Mist Castle”), is a small hill castle in the Maruoka neighborhood of Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture, on the coast of the Hokuriku region, and it is one of only twelve castles in Japan that still retain their original wooden main keep.

The site was first ordered by Oda Nobunaga in 1576 and built by Shibata Katsutoyo, but the current main keep was constructed between 1624 and 1644 under the Honda clan, who were the first lords of Maruoka Domain, and later under the Arima clan, who governed the area until 1868. The keep is a compact, three‑storey tower (appearing as two floors from the outside) with a distinctive unglazed stone roof made of slate tiles and stone shachihoko ornaments.

Its stone walls are about 6.2 meters high and built using the nozura‑zumi method that allows good drainage and protection against heavy rain. Although an earthquake in 1948 severely damaged the keep, it was carefully restored in 1955 by reusing more than 70% of the original materials, making it the only original castle tower remaining in the Hokuriku region and an Important Cultural Property of Japan.