Uwajima Castle

Uwajima, Japan, Japan

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Uwajima Castle is a small but historic flatland hill castle in Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture, on Shikoku Island, Japan, famous as one of only twelve castles in Japan that still retains its original Edo‑period main keep (tenshu).

The castle was built between 1596 and 1601 by the renowned military engineer and daimyo Tōdō Takatora on a low hill overlooking what was once Uwajima Bay, using the sea as a natural moat on three sides, and later became the seat of the Date clan, who ruled the Uwajima Domain for 11 generations until the Meiji Restoration.

In 1615, Date Hidemune, the eldest son of the famous daimyo Date Masamune, took over the castle and rebuilt parts of it while preserving Takatora’s original design; despite later earthquakes and fires, the three‑story, triple‑roof main keep survived and was designated an Important Cultural Property, and the castle site has been protected as a National Historic Site since 1937.

Today, visitors arrive via a short walk from Uwajima Station or the local bus center, then climb a stone‑path approach flanked by steep stone walls and watchtowers to reach hilltop baileys, courtyards, and the main keep, from which the interior wooden structure and small windows offer views of the city and Uwajima Bay.