Known as the ‘castle of the flying crane’: the tenshu you can see is a 1966 rebuild.
Founded by Terazawa Hirotaka between 1602 and 1608 (perhaps begun as early as 1591, according to recent excavations), it owes the nickname Maizuru-jō to the shape of the two beaches that flank it like outspread wings. The current tenshu is a reinforced concrete reconstruction from 1966, not the historic building: the structure is nonetheless included among the ‘Continued 100 Fine Castles of Japan’ (No. 185, 2017). A city wisteria in the gardens is a municipal natural monument.
It overlooks the mouth of the Matsuura River, between Karatsu Bay and the Niji no Matsubara pine grove.
ℹ️ Paid funicular for the 34-metre climb up to the entrance; museum inside on the history of the castle and the city.
🚉 Karatsu · 18 min walk
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Nearby
Former Takatori Residence500 mphoto by STA3816 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kagamiyama3.6 kmphoto by Katainaka · CC BY 3.0
Niji no Matsubara (Rainbow Pine Grove)3.8 kmphoto by ascesis · CC BY-SA 3.0
Nanatsugama — the seven sea caves10.3 kmphoto by Yukiko Yamamoto from flickr · CC BY 2.0