Shirakawa Castle

History

Komine-jo was originally built by the Yuuki in 1340. In 1627 it was taken over by Niwa Nagashige. Nagashige renovated the castle and renamed it Shirakawa-jo. At the beginning of the Edo period the castle was given to the Aizu Matsudaira by the Tokugawa government. The Matsudaira clan governed it until it fell during the Boshin War .

Visit Notes

The moats and walls around this castle are very well preserved. If you're in the area it is definitely worth a stop. Walk around the full outside of the castle to see the stone walls well. The main keep is also very well rebuilt.

Gallery

main keep
main keep and gate
honmaru stone wall
Taiko gate
Gate, ninomaru, and main keep
Honmaru moat
Honmaru stone walls
Honmaru stone walls
honmaru stone wall
inside the donjon
stone walls

Castle Profile
English Name	Shirakawa Castle
Japanese Name	白河城
Alternate Names	Komine-jo
Founder	Niwa Nagashige
Year Founded	1627
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	Reconstructed main keep
Designations	Top 100 Castles, Local Historic Site
Historical Period	Edo Period
Main Keep Structure	3 levels, 3 stories
Year Reconstructed	1991 (wood)
Features	main keep, gates, turrets, stone walls, walls
Visitor Information
Access	Shirakawa Station (Tohoku Honsen), 7 minute walk
Visitor Information
Time Required
Website	http://www.shirakawa.ne.jp/~kyokai/siro/
Location	Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture
Coordinates	37° 7' 58.08" N, 140° 12' 48.89" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	1999
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	1998, 2003
Admin Visits	September 1998, September 13, 2003

3.18

(11 votes)

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RebolforcesAshigaru

91 months ago

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Rebuilding is still in progress, most areas are accessible, but the main gate entrance/steps are still under repair. The parts of the wall that have been rebuilt are quite impressive, circular/convex? pattern of the stones in the wall. They have managed to re-use over 60% of the existing stone in the rebuild. And it still free, but there is a donation box. Numerous construction cranes are currently dotted parts of the wall that are still under repair. Worth a visit if in the area.

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ARTShogun

96 months ago

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The interior is beautiful. You can see here what the castle was like when it was freshly built in the Edo Period!

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Jcastle.oldHatamoto

114 months ago

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I heard that the main keep was just reopened before Golden Week so you are lucky !

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FurinkazanDaimyo

114 months ago

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Went this morning to this castle. Getting to it is not difficult. Just go left after leaving the station. Go through the tunnel underneath the railroad. In the tunnel there are some photos of the site after the earthquakes of 2011 and of repairs already done. I first went around the site, but the big trees around the castle obstruct almost all of the ishigaki. Some roads are closed due to the repairs. Then i went inside the tower. Yes it's open and free of charge. The structure is really nice. There are still works going on the ishigaki.

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Kiddus i2003Gunshi

126 months ago

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Would have liked to see inside but it was blocked off till works on retaining walls are finished. Still a very impressive sight.

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Anonymous user #1

155 months ago

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We first went to this castle just before the earthquake in March and was interested to see what damage had occurred since. I was very surprised to see how much structural damage had occurred to the outer walls that have temporarily closed access to the castle itself.

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Frank T.Gunshi

158 months ago

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This is a very good reconstruction--it's wooden, after all--but the grounds need some serious attention, and not because of the earthquake. Both times I visited the weeds and overgrowth were horrendous. I guess they can't afford gardeners. Too bad, because the keep, wall, and gate do look great.

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Jcastle.oldHatamoto

167 months ago

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Thanks Kris. Fixed, but English only.

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Anonymous user #1

167 months ago

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Above link also seems out-dated.

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Anonymous user #1

167 months ago

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I went north on holiday and decided along the way I could see Shirakawa, Nihonmatsu – even though they were closed for the year. At Shirakawa, site of the famous barrier, it started to snow as I walked up to the castle. I took photos of the ishigaki, the yagura, the snow falling through the giant gate and of the autumn grasses dying besides the moat. I was mildly impressed people were still fishing in the moat despite the snow fall.

Visiting castles when they are closed for winter is a wonderful idea – terribly misanthropic, no access to the museums or buildings, but I save thousands I'd otherwise spend on omiyage and yuru-chara goods and I have the entire place to myself except for one other person who also apparently enjoys visiting closed castles in a snowstorm.

The station building is one of the top 100 Stations of Japan – making this a rekijo and tetsujo adventure. I will definitely come back, next time I am on the Tohoku line, to see the Komine-jo museum (get the stamp), see the seki-sho (quite a hike), and go to the Adachigahara oni-baba theme park (Bappy-chan goods).

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