Tsuwano Castle Ruins

Tsuwano, Japan, Japan

---

The Tsuwano Castle Ruins are the remains of a medieval mountain castle in Tsuwano Town, Shimane Prefecture, Japan, set on Mount Reiki at about 362 meters above sea level, with only stone foundations and walls still standing.

Built initially in the late 12th to early 14th century (around 1295–1324) by the Yoshimi clan, the site was later strengthened in the early 1600s with large stone walls and complex fortifications during the Edo period, when it became a significant provincial stronghold under successive lords, most notably the Kamei clan, who ruled for over 200 years.

The castle’s main keep was destroyed by lightning and fire in 1686 and was never rebuilt; after the Meiji Restoration, the castle was formally decommissioned in the 1870s and its structures dismantled in 1874, leaving only the impressive stone walls and terraced foundations that define the ruins today. Protected as a National Historic Site since 1942 and recognized as one of Japan’s Top 100 Castles in 2006.