Yamagata Castle Ruins (Kajō-kōen)

photo by 663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by くろふね · CC BY 3.0

Only moats and earthworks remain of the castle of the daimyō Mogami Yoshiaki: no tenshu.

What remains is the inner moat, the grassy earthworks and the rebuilt gate, Higashi Ōtemon: the tenshu was never rebuilt after its demolition in the Meiji era. Inside the walls, over almost 36 hectares, stand four museums, among them the former Saiseikan hospital of 1878, in Western style, and the history museum devoted to Mogami Yoshiaki, the eleventh and best-known lord of the castle.

Fortress founded in 1356 by Shiba Kaneyori, founder of the Mogami clan, as the shogunate's representative in the region (Ushū Tandai). The present layout, with moats and earthworks over about 35.9 hectares, dates from Mogami Yoshiaki (1546–1614), 11th lord of the castle. National Historic Site since 1986, listed among the 100 castles of Japan in 2006.

ℹ️ Park open 5:00–22:00 (5:30–22:00 from November to March), open access and free of charge. Inside: Yamagata City Museum (former Saiseikan), the Prefectural Museum, the Yamagata Museum of Art and the Mogami Yoshiaki Historical Museum, each with its own opening hours and ticket.

🚉 Yamagata · 15 min walk

Sources: city.yamagata-yamagata.lg.jp

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