Fukui Castle

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Fukui35.jpg

History

Yuki Hideyasu, the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, was awarded the area of Kitanosho for his efforts in the Battle of Sekigahara. Hideyasu built his castle just to the North of Shibata's Kitanosho Castle. In 1624 Matsudaira Tadamasa became lord of Kitanosho and renamed it Fukui. The 4 level 5 story main keep burned down in a great fire in 1669 but the castle itself existed until the Meiji Restoration.


Visit Notes

Fukui Castle has a great complex of moats and stone walls to rival some of the largest castles in Japan. Unfortunately, no original buildings remain, but the city has put significant effort into rebuilding the bridge and gate complex you see in the photos below, even to the point of using crowdfunding to gather donations to get the job done. Next, there is also a somewhat controversial plan to rebuild the three level Hitsujisaru Yagura. The controversy comes in that they cannot build it the original height due to modern building codes. The proposal keeps the outward appearance but is scaled down to three interior levels (instead of the original 5) and is intended to be "barrier free". Further there is a lack of shakudani-ishi for the roof tiles so modern fired clay roof tiles typically used at castles have been proposed. Shakudani-ishi roof tiles would be amazing, if they could do it. They turn a lavish blue/green color when wet that was prized by people of the time. I would love to see such a building again!

A short walk away (~15mins) from the castle main compound you can also find the reconstructed Toneri Gate next to the Fukui City History Museum. Excavations that were conducted before building the museum found the gate ruins, waterways earthen embankments, stone walls and the remains of samurai residences.

Also be sure to check out the kokuin album. As one of the tenkabushin castles, you can find many unique kokuin (quarry marks) hidden in the walls.


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Gallery
  • Rokabashi, covered bridge
  • Yamazato Entrance Gate
  • Toneri Gate


More Galleries and Feature Pages

Fukuikokuin28.jpg

Kokuin

(37 photos)

Castle Profile
English Name Fukui Castle
Japanese Name 福井城
Founder Yuki Hideyasu
Year Founded 1601
Castle Type Flatland
Castle Condition No main keep but other buildings
Designations Next 100 Castles
Historical Period Edo Period
Features gates, bridges, samurai homes, water moats, stone walls, walls
Visitor Information
Access Fukui Sta. (Hokuriku Line), 5 minute walk
Visitor Information City Park, open any time
Time Required 75 mins
Website https://www.fuku-e.com/spot/detail 1016.html
Location Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture
Coordinates 36° 3' 53.82" N, 136° 13' 18.62" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle 2006
Contributor Eric
Admin Year Visited 2006, 2023
Admin Visits June 13, 2006; May 1, 2023
Friends of JCastle
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Shiro Meguri Fan
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Youkoukan (14).JPG

Youkoukan Villa
1.94
(16 votes)
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RaymondWDaimyo

14 months ago
Score 1++
@ Matthew Ward. I think it’s difficult to relocate government buildings such as a local council building, so a castle can be rebuilt. A castle is located in a fairly central location relative to the castle town that developed around it, so it makes sense to build some government buildings there post-Edo Period for easy access by the locals like at Fukui Castle. However, there are precedents at Shuri Castle and Kanazawa Castle where a university campus was relocated from the castle ground to make way for rebuilding parts of the castle. Ryukyu University was moved out from the site of Shuri Castle to its present location in Nishiharu. Kanazawa University was moved in 1996 from the grounds of Kanazawa Castle to the outskirts of the city. The Gojikken Nagaya was rebuilt 5 years after that.

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Matthew WardGunshi

11 months ago
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It may also be that school buildings are easier to relocate than government administrative buildings, I suppose.
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Matthew WardGunshi

14 months ago
Score 1++
As mentioned below, this is mostly just walls and moats with some modern government buildings inside, but even then, I found the site oddly compelling. They are nice walls and moats, and (also as mentioned below), you can climb up on the walls. I give it a 2 based on what was there when I visited it in the past, but it's really exciting to see that they are now restoring things like the gates and well roof. It could be a really excellent site with more restorations. I wonder whether they would ever consider relocating any of the government buildings?

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EricShogun

14 months ago
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I think it's very unlikely they would relocate any of the gov't buildings. They don't really hinder the enjoyment of the site and would only hinder reconstructions around the middle of the main bailey, which are unlikely to happen anyway. A recent news article mentions a plan to rebuild another yagura towards the station making a nice view and avenue from the station to the castle: https://www....ticle/714490

I visited during GW this year and will update the profile soon...
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Anonymous user #1

15 months ago
Score 0 You

On 12/05/2023, I walked to the ruins of Fukui castle from the station, where now the prefectural offices are. In 2010, the covered bridge was restored, but not the yaguramon(gate tower) behind it. The central park has also some new additions since my last visit. Due to some excavations, parts of the second moat have been discovered. In the central park, grass patches indicate were the buildings of the ninomaru goten( second bailey's palace) stood. I collected my 'next' 100 meijō stamp in the prefectural office. There I received 2 maps. One is about the city and the other from the honmaru(main bailey) in their heyday. Both have a transparent page, whereupon the actual buildings are indicated. Then I went to the history museum, where next to it is the Tenorimon. It's a gate of the castle. I was a little disappointed by the museum. Only the ground floor was accessible and there weren't that much artifacts.

You can buy a combination ticket at the museum for the Yōkōkan. This is a mansion of the Matsudaira of the mid Edo period. The garden and buildings are amazing.

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FurinkazanDaimyo

15 months ago
Score 0++
Once again I was kicked off, this is my new comment on this castle site.
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Anonymous user #1

26 months ago
Score 1 You
Nice walls and moat, and you can climb up on the walls in places. Inside it's mostly just government buildings, but it's worth a visit if you are in or around Fukui City.

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ARTShogun

48 months ago
Score 2++
Added pictures of gates and tenshudai to gallery.

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ARTShogun

78 months ago
Score 2++
Fukuijō is a hirajiro (flatland castle) with lots of ishigaki (stone ramparts), wide mizubori (water moats), dorui (earthen embankment) and several reconstructed structures: two gates and a rōkabashi (covered bridge) with adjoining stucco walls. When I want they were still working on one of the gates but it looked mostly done. Its rooftiles are made of local stone with a blue hue, similar to those adorning Maruokajō. At the tenshudai (donjon base) there is a well which give thes castle, and thus the city, its name. Recently it has had a roof built over it. This castle is still having a lot of work done to it, and this is an exciting prospect. Whole wall segments in an outer bailey seem to be being restored.

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SuupaahiirooAshigaru

90 months ago
Score 1++
Definitely worth a quick trip. The covered bridge is a really nice structure and I'd really like to go back and see the gate when it's finished. Note that in front of the Fukui City History Museum (福井市立郷土歴史博物館) there's another reconstructed gate. It's near Yōkōkan (a reconstructed villa and garden of the Matsudaira clan), which is a destination not to be missed, by the way.

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DiegoDeManilaAshigaru

101 months ago
Score 1++
Visited 29 June 2015 (https://with...9-june-2015/). Nice ishigaki and a generously sized moat. The pref. govt. compound was built right on top of where the palace once stood, so not much chance of that getting rebuilt soon, but the reconstructed Orōka-bashi was a great addition. As mentioned in my previous comments, work was underway at the time to prepare the site for rebuilding the Yamazato-guchi-gomon; you'll notice in my pictures how parts of the ishigaki flanking the gate site were partially disassembled and the stones laid out in the drained moat. The pref. govt.'s webpages on the project (see the links in my earlier comments) have even more pictures and info about the project. If/when that gets done, I'll have a great reason to swing by again. 2.5 stars for now (nice walls and bridge); if the gate goes up as planned - and is done right - I'll gladly revisit that rating.

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DiegoDeManilaAshigaru

101 months ago
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Progress reports (with loads of pictures) on the preliminary work for the restoration project can be accessed from here: http://www.p...o_kouji.html

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DiegoDeManilaAshigaru

101 months ago
Score 0++
I'm currently working on a blog post covering my visit to this castle - for the moment I should mention that work is now well under way to restore the Yamazato-guchi Gomon (the gate to which the reconstructed bridge once led). The moat section near the bridge has been fully drained and parts of the wall flanking the gate site were being worked upon during my June 2015 visit - I'd love to see fresh pictures from people who've been there more recently. Details about the project are available from the prefectural website (http://www.p...amazato.html). Expected completion: 2017. Exciting times indeed.

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FindlayjamiePeasant

104 months ago
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I was impressed by the moat (still having water) and the bridge they've rebuilt nicely. I can't see it's ever going to be a major site, as the prefectural office is dumped on top, but worth it if you're heading back from Maroka to Osaka.

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Kiddus i2003Gunshi

125 months ago
Score 0++
Impressive walls

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BryanbaierPeasant

153 months ago
Score 0++
Only a couple of walls and a part of the moat remain. The rest of the grounds have been taken over by the prefectural government buildings. If you have a long stop over in Fukui than it is way better than waiting around on the platform for your next train, otherwise don't go out of your way for it

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RaymondWDaimyo

159 months ago
Score 0++
If you are passing through Fukui City and like ishigaki, this is one castle ruin worth visiting. The ishigaki surrounding the honmaru and its water moat are intact. As mentioned below by Furinkazan, the local authorities have also rebuilt a wooden bridge. As I was taking photos of the stone walls, one of the police officers who patrolled the area (the City Police Headquarters and the Prefectural Office are now in the original honmaru), gave me a brochure about the castle. Pretty cool stuff. The site is a mere five minutes from the JR Fukui Station. This site is worth a 2-star for its ishigaki and the reconstructed bridge.

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FurinkazanDaimyo

169 months ago
Score 0++
After Maruoka i had some time left for visiting Fukui.(my hotel is just next to the trainstation)Normally i don't visit castleruins, but i have to say that this one is interesting. There are some panels around the moat(in english too)telling the story of Fukui-city and -castle. In 2008 the Oroka-bridge was restored to celebrate the 400 years of Fukui-castle. It is a covered bridge and for this i give 2 stars.

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