Kishiwada Castle

photo by 663highland · CC BY 2.5

photo by Saigen Jiro · CC0

The 1953 dry landscape garden was designed to be looked at from the top of the keep.

At the foot of the keep there is a stone garden that you cannot make sense of from below: eight groups of rocks arranged in a circle, and you only see the figure by climbing to the top floor and looking down. Shigemori Mirei made it that way on purpose, a year before the keep existed.

The current keep, with three roofs and five storeys, was rebuilt in 1954 with donations from citizens and at the wish of the descendants of the Okabe, the former lords. The Hachijin no Niwa garden dates from 1953 and is the work of Shigemori Mirei: the eight groups of rocks echo the eight-array formation attributed to Zhuge Liang, and stand for Heaven, Earth, Wind, Cloud, Dragon, Tiger, Bird and Snake. On 6 October 2014 it was designated a Place of Scenic Beauty by the State.

ℹ️ Open 10:00–17:00, last entry at 16:00. The keep costs 300 yen for adults, free up to junior high. Closed on Mondays (unless it is a public holiday or the castle festival is on) and from 29 December to 3 January.

🚉 Takojizō · 6 min walk

Sources: city.kishiwada.lg.jp · osaka-info.jp

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