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Guide to Japanese Castles

Kakegawa Castle

掛川城

Donjon and walls
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Alternate Name Kumokiri
Founder Asahina Yasuhiro
Year 1497
Reconstructed 1993 (wood)
Type Hilltop
Structure 3 levels, 4 stories
Condition Reconstructed
Admin's Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Historical Site Local Historic Site
Historical Value Top 100 Castles, Important Cultural Properties
Historical Artifacts Important Cultural Properties:
Yusanji Sanmon Gate, goten
Location Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture
Map Google Map
Access Kakegawa Station (Tokaido Honsen), 10 minute walk
Website Kakegawa City
Visited May 1999; October 15, 2009
Notes The museum in the main keep does not have many artifacts but the displays are very well done. The combination of a nicely reconstructed main keep, an original palace and a few other gates and buildings really make this castle a must see for castle fans.
History

Imagawa Yoshitada had his retainer Asahina Yasuhiro build Kakegawa Castle about 0.5km to the northeast of the present castle to help control this vital point of the Tokaido road. In 1569, his descendent, Asahina Yasutomo, lost the castle to Tokugawa Ieyasu's forces. In 1590, the area was absorbed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi who stationed Yamanouchi Kazutoyo here when Tokugawa moved to Edo (Tokyo).

Yamanouchi built the main keep on the current site and renovated the castle and town into a more modern castle. After the Battle of Sekigahara, Yamanouchi was moved to Kochi. Yamanouchi's main keep was destroyed in an earthquake in 1604 but was soon rebuilt. The new keep lasted until 1854 when it destroyed by another earthquake. It was not rebuilt and the castle was dismantled in 1869.

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Viewer Comments

(4) | Post Comment
  • John    April 04, 2010 at 03:18 AM
    makes you wish they could reconstruct all japanese castle donjons like that.
  • Raymond W.    November 21, 2009 at 11:09 PM
    I went and visited this castle today. For a reconstructed castle, it is brilliant. It's so nice to go inside a castle that has a wooden construction as opposite to just bland concrete walls and pillars. The palace is an original one from the late Edo Period, which is a bonus while visiting this castle. The palace was rebuilt in the late Edo Period after it was destroyed by either a fire or earthquake (sorry, can't remember exactly.) This castle site certainly deserves its 4-star rating on this website. If you go, make sure you get the combo ticket for 400yen as this gets you into the castle keep, the palace, and the art musuem on the grounds. It's easy to get to the castle. You can see it as you pull into the station. This is definitely one of the better castle sites to visit between Tokyo and Nagoya.
  • furinkazan    August 04, 2009 at 01:28 AM
    This is a realy nice castle. I encountered a japanese man reading the panels of some battles in the tenshu. These are unfortunately only in japanese. But i recognized the battles and ask him if i wasn't mistaken. He was so impressed by my knowledge that, when i encountered him back at the goten, he bought me the book of the reconstuction of the castle(alas only in japanese). The maps in the book are very interesting. I can tell that the base of the foundation of the castle has been reconstructed with a concrete core. The tower was completely reconstructed with classical materials. In the tenshu and the goten are a lot of interesting artifacts.
  • Anonymous    December 31, 2008 at 03:41 AM
    Took a trip with my local ITT and visited this castle and it is truly breathtaking (One of a kind). If you do anything in Japan this visit is it...