Toba Castle

History

Toba Castle was founded in 1594 by Kuki Yoshitaka, a retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Kuki clan ruled for three generations until 1633. After the Kuki, Naito Tadashige became lord of the castle and expanded the grounds by adding a second and third bailey. In 1854, the castle was heavily damaged in an earthquake and tsunami. It was not repaired and was abandoned in 1871.

Visit Notes

The grounds are currently occupied by government buildings and a preschool. Nearby is the Toba Acquarium.

Gallery

stone walls
stone walls
stone walls
Stone walls
View from the Sannomaru
map

Castle Profile
English Name	Toba Castle
Japanese Name	鳥羽城
Alternate Names	Nishiki-jo
Founder	Kuki Yoshitaka
Year Founded	1594
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Prefectural Historic Site
Historical Period	Edo Period
Features	stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Toba Sta. (Kintetsu Toba Line, Shima Line; JR Sanguu Line); 10 min. walk
Visitor Information
Time Required
Website	http://www.city.toba.mie.jp/kanko/miru/shiseki/06-toba3/02.htm
Location	Toba, Mie Prefecture
Coordinates	34° 28' 51.13" N, 136° 50' 40.38" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2010
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed
Admin Visits	Viewer Donated

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ARTShogun

93 months ago

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Correction to below comment: aihashiguchimon not otemon. The otemon at Toba Castle faced the sea.

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ARTShogun

94 months ago

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The otemon ato now beneath aihashi bridge. The honmaru is now cleared as the neighbouring primary school is closed (but the building is being kept for posterity). I really liked the terraced hillside with the 9/10 bands of ishigaki. Lots of info about the castle is available in english from the tourist information center at the station. They have a big banner of a mitsudomoe now at the castle entrance which can be seen from the train. I saw a cruise ship shaped like a castle in the bay. Toba is a nice town, i'd like to go back.

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Anonymous user #1

166 months ago

Score 0

The interesting fact I remember about this castle was that the Otemon opened onto the sea, such was the might of the Kuki navy! The grounds are nice enough for a walk but the site of the hon-maru was quite depressing. It is a dusty children's playground with a rusting basketball hoop and faded happy murals of everyone holding hands painted onto corrugate iron sheeting. It was one of those castles where I wished they had reconstructed it, even if only in concrete. Boat rides to the Pearl Island or the Aquarium could have left through the Otemon - anything but a basketball hoop. To make up for it though, there is quite a detailed history written in Japanese near the San-no-Maru entrance. Also, the Mikomoto Pearl Museum has a (quite small) scale replica of a Sengoku Era warship. Nearby Joanji is the Kuki family temple and has the dagger he used to commit seppuku after defeat at Sekigahara; as a result he has both a kubizuka and dozuka to do ohakamairi at. The cedars used in the construction of the Nippon-maru reputedly came from nearby Kata Jinja.

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