Tsuchiura Castle

Tsuchiura, Japan, Japan

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Tsuchiura Castle (Tsuchiura‑jō), also known as Kijo Castle or “Turtle Castle,” is a flatland castle in central Tsuchiura city, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, originally established as a fortified residence by the Imaizumi (Wakaizumi) clan around the early 15th century and later developed into a compound surrounded by five concentric moats that, when viewed from the water, resembled a turtle floating, earning it the nickname Kijo (“turtle castle”).

The castle was significantly expanded and reconstructed in the early Edo period, becoming the seat of various lords including the Matsudaira, Nishio, and, for most of the 17th to 19th centuries, the Tsuchiya clan, who ruled a large fief that was the second‑most important in Hitachi province after Mito, and after the Meiji Restoration the site was used for prefectural government offices until the last Tsuchiya lord donated the castle remains to the city in 1898.

In 1935 the inner bailey was developed as Kijo Park (Kijo Kōen), which preserves the original layout of moats, earthen ramparts, and stone walls, and the park is designated as a prefectural historic site and included in the “Next 100 Castles” list, while the inner bailey no longer has a main keep or tower.