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Guide to Japanese Castles

Fukuyama Castle

福山城

main keep
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Alternate Name Hisamatsu-jo, Iyoo-jo
Founder Mizuno Katsunari
Year 1622
Reconstructed 1966 (concrete)
Type Hilltop
Structure 5 levels, 6 stories
Condition Reconstructed
Admin's Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Historical Site National Historic Site
Historical Value Top 100 Castles, Important Cultural Properties
Historical Artifacts Important Cultural Properties:
Fushimi Yagura, Sujigane Gate
Location Fukuyama, Hiroshima Pref.
Map Google Map
Access Fukuyama Sta. (San'yo line); 2 minute walk
Website Fukuyama Castle Official Homepage
Visited November 14, 2009
Notes Right next to the train station, it's worth your time to stop and visit on the way through. You can take the best pictures of the Fushimi yagura and Tsukimi yagura from the train platform heading towards Osaka. Plan accordingly so you have some time to take pictures from here. I didn't realize that until it was too late and had only a few minutes to get a couple pictures.
History In 1619, Mizuno Katsunari, a cousin of Tokugawa Ieyasu, was the first of the Tokugawa hereditary vassals (fudai daimyo) to be stationed in the Chuugoku region. He was placed here at Fukuyama to be just between the non-hereditary vassals (tozama daimyo) in Hiroshima and Okayama. He received great support from the Tokugawa in the form of money, materials and buildings transferred from Fushimi Castle to build this rather large and strong castle (23 yagura and 10 gates) quickly. It shows the importance Tokugawa placed on showing his strength to these tozama daimyo. The castle was completed in 1622.

Fukuyama Castle was one of the greatest castles of the Edo Period and many buildings survived the Meiji Restoration, but were mostly destroyed in the air raids of 1945. Only the Fushimi Yagura and Sujigane Gate survived.
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Viewer Comments

(4) | Post Comment
  • jorthrhns    April 03, 2010 at 06:02 AM
    Why the heck do they have to make the reconstructed donjon out of concrete anyway? why can't they just remake the original as it would have looked
  • Raymond W    March 18, 2010 at 09:17 PM
    Visited this castle again last weekend on the way back from Hiroshima City. It is a very impressive castle on the outside with some of the turrets and one gate still around (some original, some reconstructed.) However, the inside is just like Hiroshima Castle: bland, concrete, 1960s-like and nothing like inside a real Japanese castle. The museum is okay with a few suits of armour, weapons, some pottery, calligraphy etc. Hiroshima Castle is better because it has some English explanations and some reconstructed rooms from the Edo Period. BTW, no photography is allowed inside the castle. I went a second time to collect my castle stamp (Japan's 100 Top Castles) and to make sure that I did not go there on a bad day (see earlier comment below). Nay...I was right. Good on the outside, boring and bland inside.
  • Raymond W.    December 02, 2009 at 08:26 PM
    Some very nice photos of the Fukuyama Castle in autumn. You certainly had better lighting and conditions conducive to taking some good photos. It is a very impressive castle on the outside and certainly worth a visit if one is in the area. As I have posted in a comment below, this castle has a very concrete 1960s feel to its interior. The museum is pretty good, though. Unfortunately, I sped through it, so probably did not get as much out of it as I should.
  • Raymond    August 07, 2008 at 04:49 PM
    Went and sussed this castle out after going to Okayama Castle. Fukuyama Castle is just across from the JR Fukuyama Station. It takes almost an hour from Okayama Station using the local JR train. This castle is quite impressive on the outside, but the inside definitely has a 1960s concrete construction feel to it. Contrast this with the interior of Okayama Castle (another concrete reconstruction) which is done more tastefully. If you are in the area, this castle is definitely worth a visit.