Tsurugaoka Castle

Tsurugaoka Castle is a hilltop-plain castle (hirayama-jiro) in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, that served as the administrative seat of Shonai Domain throughout the Edo period. Its origins trace back to Daihōji Castle, built by the Mutō (Daihōji) clan in the Kamakura period. When the Sakai clan—descended from Sakai Tadatsugu, one of Tokugawa Ieyasu's Four Guardians—entered Shonai in 1622, they extensively rebuilt Daihōji Castle into an early-modern fortress and renamed it Tsurugaoka Castle. The Sakai clan then ruled Shonai for roughly 250 years until the abolition of the domains in 1871. Laid out with concentric main, second, and third baileys ringed by moats and earthen ramparts, the castle had no keep and functioned as a palace-centered administrative seat. Many structures were lost after the Meiji era, and the grounds are now maintained as Tsuruoka Park, with Shōnai Shrine standing on the former main bailey. The Chidō Museum, built on the former lords' residence in the third bailey, is renowned for the Sakai family's heirloom treasures, including the National Treasure tachi swords 'signed Sanemitsu' and 'signed Nobufusa,' the Important Cultural Property tantō 'signed Yoshimitsu,' and an Important Cultural Property suit of armor (iroiro-odoshi dōmaru) said to have been worn by Sakai Tadatsugu. A noted destination for Japanese swords that preserves the samurai culture of Shonai, the castle is also famous for its roughly 700 cherry trees.