CastleHilltop castle (hirayamajiro)Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 4
What makes this castle distinctive
An original Edo-period keep is moving on rails right now: shifted aside 11 years ago so its stone base could be rebuilt, it is on its way back in 2026.
Why?
The stone base under the keep was bulging and at risk of collapse, so in 2015 the city slid the whole keep about 78 m to the middle of the main enclosure and rebuilt the walls. With the stonework finished, 2026 is the year the keep is pulled back. The work is open to view and is scheduled to finish in November.[4][5][6]
In the main enclosure (honmaru, paid area). During 2026 it is partway along its route back across the honmaru.
What to look at
The three-tiered, three-story keep, and in 2026 the rails and rollers laid beneath it for the move.
Why it's interesting
The original five-tiered keep is said to have burned after a lightning strike in 1627. Today's keep was built in 1810 by Tsugaru Yasuchika, the ninth lord, who got the shogunate's permission by calling it a turret. It is the only keep in the Tohoku region surviving from the Edo period and an Important Cultural Property.[1][3][5][6][7]
Can you see it?
Partly visibleExterior only. The interior has been closed since November 24, 2025, with reopening planned around March 2033 (as of 2025). The exterior can be seen until about autumn 2028, after which it will be covered for repairs.
Sannomaru Otemon (opposite City Hall, today's main entrance), Kitamon (Kamenoko-mon) in the north bailey, Sannomaru Higashimon, and the Ninomaru east and south inner gates.
What to look at
The extra lower roof (geya) above the ground floor, and the masugata: a U-shaped enclosure of gate and earthen banks.
Why it's interesting
The lower roofs, said by some to have been added to raise the gates above the snow, are a signature of Hirosaki's gates. Otemon is the main entrance today, but when the castle was built the main gate was Kitamon in the north. All five gates are original and are Important Cultural Properties.[1][3]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideFree to see and walk through. Kitamon stands on the north side of the north bailey (paid area).
The east side of the main enclosure, seen from the viewing decks in the honmaru and north bailey.
What to look at
The rebuilt east wall of the honmaru and the keep's base, and the rails and jacks used to move the keep.
Why it's interesting
This wall also collapsed in the Meiji era: in 1897 master carpenter Horie Sakichi moved the keep once before, and repairs were finished in 1915. This time, from 2016 to 2018, 2,185 stones were numbered, taken down, studied and put back. Because the keep is being moved back without a protective shelter, you can watch the work from the viewing deck.[4][5][7][8]
Can you see it?
Partly visibleWork dates change with the weather; the city publishes the schedule. Part of the south side of the honmaru is closed until about the end of March 2027, with a detour via temporary stairs.
At a glance for visitors
Nearest station
10 min walk from Shiyakusho-mae Koen-iriguchi bus stop
Climb
Not confirmed
Time neededEditors' estimate
About 1.5–2 hours for the main enclosure, north bailey and gates; half a day in cherry season if you add the West Moat.
Admission
Adults (high school and up) 320 yen, children (elementary and junior high) 100 yen; groups 250/80 yen. Combined ticket with the botanical garden and Fujita Memorial Garden: 520/160 yen. Free on the last Sunday of May.
Hours
Paid hours 9:00–17:00, April 1 – November 23; 9:00–21:00 during the cherry blossom festival (may revert to normal hours in early-blooming years)
Access
Open to visitors
The park is free to walk. The main enclosure and north bailey charge admission from 9:00 to 17:00, April 1 – November 23 (free November 24 – March 31). The keep's interior has been closed long-term since November 24, 2025. Part of the south side of the honmaru is closed for works until about March 31, 2027, with a detour via temporary stairs. The area around the Hitsujisaru turret is closed. The Japan 100 Castles stamp is at the Hirosaki Castle Information Center and the Green Consultation Center. Cars and motorbikes, walking pets (cages and carts allowed) and unauthorized drones are banned in the park.
Hirosaki Castle places its core at the northwest tip of a plateau that juts northward, and takes in the lowlands at its northern and western foot. The main enclosure sits on a steep bluff above the Hasu-ike pond on the west, and the west side was guarded by the West Moat, once a channel of the Iwaki River.[4][9]
02
Historical record
Planned by Tamenobu, finished by Nobuhira
The castle was planned by Tsugaru Tamenobu, first lord of the Hirosaki domain, but he died before construction began. His son Nobuhira, the second lord, started work in 1610, completed it in 1611 and moved in from Horikoshi Castle. It has six enclosures (kuruwa) and measures about 500 m east to west and 1,000 m north to south, covering some 50 hectares.[4][9]
03
Tradition
Lost to lightning, rebuilt as a "turret"
The first keep, five tiers high, stood at the southwest corner of the main enclosure and is said to have burned after a lightning strike in 1627. The castle then went without a keep for a long time until 1810, when the ninth lord, Tsugaru Yasuchika, built a three-tiered keep at the southeast corner. He obtained the shogunate's permission by describing it as a corner turret.[1][4]
04
Historical record
Keep, turrets and gates all survive
After the Meiji Restoration the castle lost its role, and it opened as Hirosaki Park in 1895. Besides the keep, three corner turrets in the second enclosure and five gates survive from the Edo period, all Important Cultural Properties. The keep is one of only 12 Edo-period keeps left in Japan. The site was designated a National Historic Site in 1952.[1][4][9]
05
Historical record
Stone-wall repairs that moved the keep twice
When the wall below the keep collapsed in 1896, the keep was pulled west the next year so repairs could be made. About a century later the wall was bulging and at risk again, so in 2015 the city slid the keep about 77.6 m to the center of the main enclosure, and in 2016–2018 it dismantled and rebuilt the wall. 2026 is the year the keep goes back, to be followed by its first major conservation work in about 70 years, including earthquake reinforcement.[4][5][6]
Designated a National Historic Site (Tsugaru clan castle sites)[9]
The keep is slid to the center of the honmaru for wall repairs[5]
The keep is moved back to its base (completion planned for November)[5][6]
Buildings and remains
The keep today
Original keep
Original keep built in 1810; three tiers, three floors (Japan Castle Foundation). Moved in 2015 and being moved back to its base in 2026. Interior closed since November 24, 2025.
The site today
Open as Hirosaki Park. The main enclosure and north bailey are a paid area from April 1 to November 23; the rest is free. As of October 2026, the keep is being moved back and its base reinforced against earthquakes.
Main buildings
OriginalImportant Cultural Property
Keep (tenshu)
Rebuilt in 1810. Conservation and seismic work planned from fiscal 2028 after the move back.[4][5]
OriginalImportant Cultural Properties
Tatsumi, Ushitora and Hitsujisaru turrets (second enclosure)
Corner lookout turrets, similar in form but differing in details such as stair position and gable construction. Hitsujisaru was partly damaged by heavy snow in January 2025 and its surroundings are closed.[1]
OriginalImportant Cultural Properties
Five gates: Sannomaru Otemon, Sannomaru Higashimon, Ninomaru south and east inner gates, Kitamon (Kamenoko-mon)
Noted for their lower roofs and masugata enclosures. Kitamon was the original main gate.[1]
Key facts
Type
Castle
Setting
Hilltop castle (hirayamajiro)built on a low hill rising from the plainEditorial article
Period
Early modern (1570s–1871)Editorial article
Keep (tenshu)
Original keepthe keep (tenshu) itself survives from before 1868Editorial article
Built by
Tsugaru Nobuhira, Tsugaru TamenobuJapan Castle Foundation
Built
1611Japan Castle Foundation
Main lords
Tsugaru clanJapan Castle Foundation
Abandoned
1871Wikipedia (ja)
Remains to see
Turrets or turret bases, Gates, Stone walls, Earthen ramparts, Moats, Baileys / enclosures (kuruwa), Fortified gateways (koguchi), Keep base (tenshudai)Editorial article
Designation
National Historic Site (Tsugaru clan castle sites: Hirosaki Castle) (1952); Important Cultural Properties (keep, 3 turrets, 5 gates)Editorial article
Selection
Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 4Japan Castle Foundation
Visiting
Access
Open to visitors
The park is free to walk. The main enclosure and north bailey charge admission from 9:00 to 17:00, April 1 – November 23 (free November 24 – March 31). The keep's interior has been closed long-term since November 24, 2025. Part of the south side of the honmaru is closed for works until about March 31, 2027, with a detour via temporary stairs. The area around the Hitsujisaru turret is closed. The Japan 100 Castles stamp is at the Hirosaki Castle Information Center and the Green Consultation Center. Cars and motorbikes, walking pets (cages and carts allowed) and unauthorized drones are banned in the park.
Shiyakusho-mae Koen-iriguchi bus stopBus from JR Hirosaki Station (bound for Fujishiro Eigyosho via Komagoshi)
about 10 min walk · Not confirmed
About 10 minutes' walk from the stop to Otemon. On buses via Hamanomachi, get off at Bunka Center-mae or Chuo Koko-mae and walk about 10 minutes.[11]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Hours and admission
Hirosaki Castle paid area (honmaru and north bailey)
Hours
Paid hours 9:00–17:00, April 1 – November 23; 9:00–21:00 during the cherry blossom festival (may revert to normal hours in early-blooming years)
Closed
Free November 24 – March 31. Keep interior closed since November 24, 2025
Admission
Adults (high school and up) 320 yen, children (elementary and junior high) 100 yen; groups 250/80 yen. Combined ticket with the botanical garden and Fujita Memorial Garden: 520/160 yen. Free on the last Sunday of May.[3][1]
No cars inside the park. Use the paid lots at Hirosaki City Hall, Hirosaki Culture Center or the Hirosaki Municipal Tourist Center.[11][1]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Grounds opening hours
Opening hours for the park as a whole not confirmed; paid-area hours as above.[3]Checked: 2026-10-03
Time neededEditors' estimate
About 1.5–2 hours for the main enclosure, north bailey and gates; half a day in cherry season if you add the West Moat.
Steps, slopes and footing
The park is large, and the enclosures are linked by bridges and slopes. On the south side of the honmaru you currently use temporary stairs because of the works.[2]
Wheelchairs and strollers
Not confirmedChecked: 2026-10-03
Toilets and rest
Not confirmed
English signs / audio guide
Official English guidance not confirmed; the park manager's website offers machine translation.[13]
Seasons
During the spring Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival, trees on both banks of the West Moat form a tunnel of blossoms, with rowing boats and night illuminations. The "petal raft" of fallen blossoms covering the moat is also famous.[1]
Photography
Flying drones in the park without permission is prohibited.[1]
Works, closures and restrictions
The keep is being moved back (second stage under way as of late September 2026; return to its base planned in November). The city publishes the work schedule. The keep interior is closed from November 24, 2025 to March 31, 2033 (plan as of 2025). The exterior can be seen until about autumn 2028, after which it will be covered for repairs. Partial closure on the south side of the honmaru until about March 31, 2027.[5][6][14][2]Checked: 2026-10-03
A garden managed by the Hirosaki City Midori Association; included in the combined ticket with the castle's paid area and the botanical garden.[3][13]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Editors' guide
An editorial guide based on sources and confirmed information — not a first-hand visit report.
Who will enjoy it
For anyone who wants to see a genuine Edo-period keep, turrets and gates, those curious about how castles are repaired, and cherry-blossom lovers. 2026 is a rare chance to see a keep on the move.
What makes it interesting
Compare the keep's current spot with the stone base it stood on until 2015, and trace the route it is being moved along. At the gates, look for the lower roofs and the masugata enclosures. From the honmaru viewing deck you can see the rebuilt walls and the rails used to move the keep.
Before you go
The keep's interior is closed for several years from November 2025, and from about autumn 2028 even the exterior is expected to be hidden by a repair shelter. The south side of the honmaru has a detour for the works. Check the city's page for move-back work days before you go.
Ways to enjoy it
Start at the Hirosaki Castle Information Center to get the castle's history (and the 100 Castles stamp). In spring, walk the cherry tunnel along the West Moat; at other times, try a circuit of all five original gates.
Photos
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Open questions
The city describes the keep both as the only Edo-period keep north of the Kanto region and as the only one in Tohoku.
That the first keep had five tiers and burned after lightning in 1627 is based on tradition. The idea that the gates' lower roofs were for snow is one theory.
The move-back schedule and the reopening date of the keep's interior may change depending on progress and survey results; the city presents them as plans as of 2025–2026.
The year the gates, turrets and keep were designated Important Cultural Properties, overall park hours, toilets and accessibility, and admission to the Information Center could not be confirmed.
掬茶CC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons
