* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Yamato-Kōriyama Castle
大和郡山城
Yamato-Kōriyama Castle is a historic castle in kinki dating from the Built in the Tenbun era (1532–1555), whose lord was Tsutsui Junkei / Toyotomi Hidenaga / Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu.
Overview
About the Castle
Yamato-Kōriyama Castle is a flatland castle built at Kōriyama in the center of the Nara Basin in Yamato Province, and is a celebrated castle that recorded dramatic history from the Sengoku through Edo periods as a crucial stronghold for controlling Yamato Province. Its predecessor can be traced to a residential castle built by Tsutsui Junkei, a Yamato provincial warrior, during the Tenbun era (1532–1555). However, it was formally developed as a full-scale early modern castle after Toyotomi Hidenaga (originally Hanbei Hidenaga), the younger brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, entered as a great daimyo controlling one million koku of Yamato, Kii, and Izumi provinces in Tenshō 13 (1585). Hidenaga was an ally of Hideyoshi who supported him in both political and military affairs. He greatly expanded Yamato-Kōriyama Castle and developed the castle town as a base for controlling Yamato Province. Hidenaga earned such trust from Hideyoshi that it was said, "Hideyoshi for national policy, Hidenaga for domestic affairs," and his gentle character and superior administrative abilities were equally admired by the people.
The Glory and Transformations of the Toyotomi
When Hidenaga died in Tenshō 19 (1591), his adopted son Hideyo succeeded him but died young shortly after, and the castle became a directly controlled domain of the Toyotomi family. After the Battle of Sekigahara, lords such as Mizuno Katsunari, Honda Masakatsu, and Okudaira Tadamasa took turns as domain lords. In Kyōhō 9 (1724), Yanagisawa Yoshisato entered from Kōfu as lord of a domain of 151,200 koku. Yoshisato's father, Yoshiyasu, served as a chief aide to the fifth shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, wielded considerable power, and was also known as a man of culture, having commissioned the Rikugien garden in Edo. Under Yoshisato's rule, Yamato-Kōriyama Castle reached its zenith, and the castle town became the most prosperous in Yamato Province.
Castle Architecture and Characteristics
The most famous characteristic of Yamato-Kōriyama Castle is the "inverted jizō." When the stone walls of the keep base were rebuilt, it has been confirmed that materials were in short supply, and nearby jizō statues, stone Buddhist sculptures, and gravestones were repurposed. Among these materials were Buddhist stone sculptures of jizō arranged upside-down. This inverted jizō can still be seen today as part of the keep base's stone walls, and has become a tourist attraction as a valuable structure conveying the actual practices of stone procurement in the Sengoku period. The Ōte-mukai turret and Ōte gate remain today as designated cultural properties of Nara Prefecture, conveying glimpses of the castle's architecture from those times to the present day. The castle ruins have been developed as Kōriyama Castle Ruins Park, and in spring become one of Nara's premier cherry-blossom viewing spots, with approximately 700 cherry trees in full bloom.
Yamato Province and Sword Culture
Yamato Province flourished from ancient times as a center of Buddhism and Shinto, and this religious foundation gave rise to a unique sword-forging tradition called "Yamato-den." Yamato-den is one of the Five Traditions (Yamato, Yamashiro, Bizen, Sōshū, and Mino) of Japanese swordmaking, and is positioned as the foundational technique that underpins the other four traditions. Sword-making groups called the "Five Yamato Schools"—Senjuin, Taima, Tegaki, Shiriigake, and Hōshō—flourished and produced high-quality swords based at temples and shrines in Nara. Yamato-Kōriyama Castle was built at the center of this Yamato sword culture, and its lords maintained close ties with the renowned craftsmen of Yamato.
Goldfish and the Castle Town
Yamato-Kōriyama is also renowned as one of Japan's premier goldfish-breeding centers and is affectionately known as "Goldfish Town." Goldfish breeding, said to have begun under the rule of the Yanagisawa clan during the Edo period, developed into an important industry of the castle town, and Yamato-Kōriyama goldfish are still known today as the finest quality in the nation. The sight of goldfish swimming in the castle ruins' moats evokes the distinctive charm of Yamato-Kōriyama, where the martial castle and refined culture coexist. With its layered history as an ancient capital of Nara and its role as a crossroads of the two great powers of Toyotomi and Tokugawa, Yamato-Kōriyama Castle possesses a profound charm like a microcosm of Japanese history.
Connection to Swords
Yamato Province is the cradle of the Yamato-den tradition, one of Japan's five fundamental sword-forging schools, making Yamato-Kōriyama Castle one of the most historically significant sites in sword culture. The five Yamato schools — Senjuin, Taima, Tegai, Shikkake, and Hōshō — each connected to famous temples and shrines in Nara, producing restrained and spiritually refined blades characterized by straight hamon. Castle lord Tsutsui Junkei grew up surrounded by this tradition, while Toyotomi Hidenaga's tenure brought national-level collections to the castle. The Nara National Museum holds major examples of Yamato-den blades, complementing a visit to the castle ruins.
Highlights
- Upside-down jizō stone in the castle keep foundation
- Surviving Ōte-mukai turret and gate (Nara Prefectural Cultural Property)
- Cherry blossoms in Kōriyama Castle Ruins Park (approx. 700 trees)
- Nara National Museum (Yamato-den sword collection)
- Yamato-Kōriyama goldfish breeding (Japan's premier goldfish town)
- Nearby Kasuga Taisha Shrine and Tōdai-ji Temple
* Opening hours and admission fees are subject to change. Please check the official website before visiting.