Akashi Castle Ruins

Akashi, Japan, Japan

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Akashi Castle Ruins are the remains of an Edo-period Japanese castle located in Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, now preserved as part of spacious Akashi Park just a short walk from JR Akashi Station.

Built between 1617 and 1619 under the order of the second Tokugawa shōgun, Tokugawa Hidetada, and assigned to daimyō Ogasawara Tadazane, the castle was designed as a strategic backup to Himeji Castle and the final line of defense for the Kansai region against attacks from the west. Although the main keep was never constructed and the castle was largely demolished in 1874 during the Meiji reforms, the site retains extensive stone walls.

Moats, and two three-story turrets (yagura) known as Hitsujisaru and Tatsumi, which survive as Important Cultural Properties and provide a striking contrast of white walls and black tiled roofs against the dark stone foundations. The castle ruins, designated a National Historic Site in 2004, are also listed among Japan’s Top 100 Castles and are especially famous for spring cherry blossoms, with over 1,400 cherry trees surrounding the ruins and Gonoike Pond in Akashi Park, where visitors can walk, enjoy boat rides, and attend local festivals and markets.