Maruoka-jo was Built by Shibata Katsutoyo, nephew of Shibata Katsuie, in 1576. The castle had 17 lords until the Meiji Restoration including Aoyama Shurinsuke, Honda Narishige, and Arima Kiyosumi. The keep was levelled by the Fukui earthquake of 1948, but the keep was rebuilt using 80% of the original materials in 1955. The keep has three stories with an original wood interior and stone-tile roof, and is located on a hill in the middle of a rather large plain. Both the size of the keep and interior are very similar to that of Inuyama castle. At the bottom of the hill there is a small history museum with displays related to the lords of Maruoka castle (admission included in castle ticket). Like both Inuyama and Matsumoto, Maruoka claims to have the oldest remaining keep in Japan. It is designated Important Cultural Property.(history by Sasha B.)