* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Tsuchiura Castle (Kame-jō)
土浦城（亀城）
Tsuchiura Castle (Kame-jō) is a historic castle in the Kantō region (Traditionally built during the Eikyō era (1429–1441) by Wakaizumi Saburō; abandoned in 1873 (Meiji 6) under the Meiji-era castle-abolition policy). Its lord was Wakaizumi Saburō; the Sugaya clan (Oda clan retainers, three generations); Yūki Hideyasu; the Matsudaira (Nobukazu, Nobuyoshi); the Nishio (Tadanaga, Tadateru); the Kutsuki (Tanetsuna, Tanemasa); the Tsuchiya clan (eleven generations from 1669).
Overview
Overview
Tsuchiura Castle, located in Chūō in central Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, is a rinkaku-shiki (concentric-enclosure) flatland castle. Protected by multiple layers of water moats, its appearance resembles a turtle floating on water, which earned it the popular nickname "Kame-jō" (Turtle Castle). During the Edo period, the domain office of Tsuchiura Domain was placed here, and the castle continued in use until the Meiji Restoration.
History and Succession of Lords
Opinions vary on when the castle was built, but it is said to have been constructed during the Eikyō era (1429–1441) of the Muromachi period by Wakaizumi Saburō, a local lord who had submitted to the Oda clan. The Oda clan were descendants of Hatta Tomoie, the Hitachi military governor. During the Sengoku period, the Sugaya clan, retainers of the Oda clan, served as lords of the castle for three generations. In the Edo period, Yūki Hideyasu, Matsudaira Nobukazu and Nobuyoshi, Nishio Tadanaga and Tadateru, and Kutsuki Tanetsuna and Tanemasa succeeded one another as lords. From 1669 (Kanbun 9), the Tsuchiya clan ruled Tsuchiura Domain for eleven generations over about 200 years. In 1873 (Meiji 6), the castle was abolished under the Haijō-rei (Castle Abolition Edict).
Structure
The castle was protected by multiple layers of water moats, fed by water drawn from Lake Kasumigaura and the rivers connected to it. The Taiko Yagura-mon (Drum Tower Gate) that remains in the main enclosure was remodeled in 1656 (Meireki 2) by the fifth lord, Kutsuki Tanetsuna, into a single-story tile-roofed yagura gate. It takes its name from the drum on the second floor, which was struck to announce the time. It is said to be the only surviving yagura gate in the main enclosure in the Kantō region. The Kasumi-mon Gate (designated a Tsuchiura City Cultural Property) also survives. The East Yagura (reconstructed in 1998) and West Yagura (reconstructed in 1991) have been rebuilt in wood.
Cultural Property Status and the Continuation of 100 Fine Castles
On November 18, 1952, the site was designated Ibaraki Prefecture Historic Site No. 1 as "Tsuchiura Castle Ruins and Yagura-mon Gate." On April 6, 2017, it was selected as No. 113 of the Continuation of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan by the Japan Castle Foundation.
Present Condition
The area centered on the main enclosure has been developed as Kijō Park, a place for local residents to relax. The East Yagura is used as an annex exhibition hall of the Tsuchiura City Museum. Parts of the castle were damaged in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and were restored by June 2012. A 500-year-old shii tree, designated an Ibaraki Prefecture Natural Monument and known as "Kijō no Shii," also remains.
Highlights
- A concentric-enclosure flatland castle surrounded by multiple water moats, likened to a turtle and called "Kame-jō"
- Traditionally attributed to Wakaizumi Saburō in the Eikyō era; during the Edo period the Tsuchiya clan ruled for eleven generations over about 200 years
- The Taiko Yagura-mon (rebuilt in the second year of Meireki) is the only surviving yagura gate of the honmaru in the Kantō region
- Designated Ibaraki Prefecture Historic Site No. 1 in 1952
- Selected as No. 113 in the Continuation of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan in 2017
* Opening hours and admission fees are subject to change. Please check the official website before visiting.