Eleven hundred cherry trees above stone walls: in 1873 everything was dismantled except the walls themselves.
Of the castle proper only the walls remain, rising in terraces to the top of the hill: the only structure standing today, the Bicchū turret (備中櫓), is a wooden reconstruction from 2005 for the 400th anniversary of the founding. From late March to early April about a thousand Somei-yoshino cherry trees cover the embankments, and on festival evenings (late March–mid-April) the park stays open until 22:00 with night illumination of the blossoms.
Mori Tadamasa, younger brother of the famous Mori Ranmaru, began building it in 1603 after receiving the Tsuyama domain of 186,000 koku; the castle was completed in 1616. In 1873, with the Meiji edict abolishing castles, every building was dismantled, leaving only the stone walls, today a national historic site (since 1963). It is the 67th of the ‘100 Famous Castles of Japan’ and is included among the ‘100 Cherry Blossom Spots of Japan’.
ℹ️ Open 8:40–19:00 from April to September, 8:40–17:00 from October to March. Adult ticket 300 yen, junior high school students and under free. The cherry blossom festival (late March–mid-April) extends the evening hours with illumination.
🚉 Tsuyama · 18 min walk
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