* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Zeze Castle
膳所城
Zeze Castle is a historic castle in Kansai dating from the Edo period (built in 1601; abolished in 1870), whose lord was Toda Kazuaki (first lord); the Honda clan (13 generations over roughly 220 years from Honda Toshitsugu).
Overview
Founding
Zeze Castle was built in 1601 on the order of Tokugawa Ieyasu as the very first fortress constructed under the Tokugawa shogunate's tenka-bushin (nationwide corvée building) system. Projecting into Lake Biwa, its layout was designed by Tōdō Takatora, renowned as a master of castle construction. The site lay near the Karahashi Bridge at Seta, controlling both the Tōkaidō road and shipping on Lake Biwa.
Succession of Lords
Toda Kazuaki was the first lord after the castle's completion; the Honda, Suganuma, and Ishikawa clans, all hereditary Tokugawa vassal houses, held it in turn afterward, until Honda Toshitsugu took possession with a stipend of 70,000 koku in 1634. From then on, the Honda clan held the castle for 13 generations over roughly 220 years, until the Meiji Restoration.
Structure
A flatland castle of teikaku-shiki (stepped bailey) layout, its main bailey was crowned with a four-story keep. Lake Biwa served as a natural moat on its western side, and its whitewashed turrets and walls, reflected on the lake's surface, earned it renown as a fortress "floating on the water."
Connection to Swords and Arms
Tōdō Takatora, who laid out the castle, was himself a warrior well versed in arms: he wore a black-lacquered "Tang crown"-style helmet bestowed on him by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and is known to have owned the celebrated blade known as "Meibutsu Ōkanemitsu" — a sword inscribed with gold-inlay attribution to the smith Kanemitsu of Bizen, authenticated by the Hon'ami family.
Present State
After the castle's abolition in 1870, the Ōte-mon, Kita-Ōte-mon, and Minami-Ōte-mon gates were relocated to nearby Zeze Shrine and Shinozu Shrine, among others, and are now designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The former main bailey is maintained as Zeze Castle Ruins Park, where remnants of the stone walls and a reconstructed mock gate evoke the castle's former appearance.
Connection to Swords
Tōdō Takatora, who laid out Zeze Castle, wore a black-lacquered "Tang crown"-style helmet given to him by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and is said to have owned a celebrated blade known as "Meibutsu Ōkanemitsu," inscribed in gold inlay with an attribution to the Bizen smith Kanemitsu and authenticated by the Hon'ami family — an anecdote illustrating that Takatora's expertise extended beyond castle-building to arms and swords.
Highlights
- The very first castle built under the Tokugawa shogunate's tenka-bushin system, laid out by master castle-builder Tōdō Takatora
- A lakeside fortress on Lake Biwa, admired as a castle "floating on the water"
- Its Ōte-mon, Kita-Ōte-mon, and Minami-Ōte-mon gates survive nearby as Important Cultural Properties
- Home to the Honda clan for 13 generations, roughly 220 years, until the Meiji Restoration
* Opening hours and admission fees are subject to change. Please check the official website before visiting.