CastleMountain castle (yamajiro)Next 100 Fine Castles No. 136
What makes this castle distinctive
A mountain castle on the border of Wakasa and Echizen that drove back the Asakura army almost every year for a decade, earning a reputation as impregnable.
Why?
From 1563 until the Asakura clan's fall in 1573, Asakura forces from Echizen attacked the castle almost every year, and each time the lord, Awaya Katsuhisa, holed up inside with local warriors and villagers and drove them off. The fighting is described in Kuniyoshi Rojoki, a war chronicle written in the Edo period.[1][2]
The summit and the baileys overlooking Tsubaki Pass
Where
The main bailey on the summit of Shiroyama (about 197 m) and the ridge running northwest from it.
What to look at
The baileys (kuruwa) stepping down the ridge like stairs, and the view toward Tsubaki Pass and the old Tango Kaido road below.
Why it's interesting
Kuniyoshi was a border castle guarding the line between Wakasa and Echizen. From the summit you can see how it looked straight down on the road from Echizen into Wakasa.[1][5]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideReached on foot by a mountain trail.
The valley at the southwest foot of Shiroyama, behind the Wakasa Kuniyoshi Castle History Museum.
What to look at
The terraced flat ground and the stone wall at the front of the residence uncovered by excavation.
Why it's interesting
This spot shows how Sengoku-period mountain castles worked: the lord lived in a residence at the foot and retreated to the hilltop castle when war came. Kimura Sadamitsu, who became lord in 1583, rebuilt Kuniyoshi with stone walls.[1][4]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideCan be visited as part of the castle site (check the extent of the open area at the museum).
The museum on the site of the Sakaki magistrate's office at the foot of the hill, and the town of Sakaki in front of it.
What to look at
Excavated finds and models, the relocated main house and reception rooms of the former Tanabe Handayu residence, and the streets of Sakaki, a castle town that became a post town.
Why it's interesting
Sakaki was laid out as Kuniyoshi's castle town. After the castle was abandoned in the early Edo period, a magistrate's office was set up here and the town thrived as a post town on the Tango Kaido. The museum tells the 450-year story of the castle and the town.[1][2]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideMuseum admission 100 yen for adults; closed Mondays and some other days.
At a glance for visitors
Nearest station
35 min walk from JR Mihama Station
Climb
Steep climb
Time neededEditors' estimate
Allow about 2 hours for the museum plus a round trip to the summit.
Admission
Adults 100 yen; junior high school students and younger 50 yen. Group discounts for 20+. Free for holders of disability certificates and preschool children.
Hours
9:00–17:00; December–March 10:00–16:30 (last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Access
Open to visitors
The castle site is explored on foot along mountain trails. The museum at the foot charges admission. The Next 100 Castles stamp is at the museum: ask at reception when it is open, or use the stamp stand beside the front entrance on closed days.
Kuniyoshi is a mountain castle near the old border between Wakasa (western Fukui Prefecture) and Echizen (eastern Fukui). Anyone heading from Echizen deep into Wakasa had to pass Tsubaki Pass, and the castle was built on Shiroyama hill, looking down on that road.[1][5]
02
Tradition
Built by Awaya Katsuhisa
Tradition says the castle was built in 1556 by Awaya Katsuhisa, a senior retainer of the Takeda family, the military governors (shugo) of Wakasa. Some say he reused the site of an earlier castle.[1][5]
03
Historical record
Holding off the Asakura and welcoming Nobunaga
From 1563 the Asakura forces of Echizen attacked almost every year, but Katsuhisa and the local warriors and villagers shut themselves in the castle and drove them off each time. In April 1570, Oda Nobunaga's army stopped here on its way to attack the Asakura, and Mihama Town notes that the three great unifiers of Japan, Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, all entered Kuniyoshi Castle together.[1][2]
04
Historical record
Rebuilt in stone, then abandoned
In 1583 Kimura Sadamitsu, a retainer of Hideyoshi, became lord, rebuilt the castle with stone walls and laid out the castle town, the basis of today's Sakaki streets. Early in the Edo period the castle was abandoned and replaced by the Sakaki magistrate's office. On the hill, baileys, stone walls, earthen banks and ridge trenches remain, and at the foot, the stone walls of the lord's residence.[1][4]
05
Historical record
A museum and a place among the Next 100 Castles
Excavations from 2001 uncovered stone walls and building remains at the residence site at the foot of the hill. The Wakasa Kuniyoshi Castle History Museum opened in spring 2009, and in 2017 the castle was named No. 139 of the Next 100 Fine Castles of Japan. The town says the selection recognized the well-preserved remains, the excavation results, the museum and the efforts of the local Sakaki community.[1][2][5]
The Asakura attack; the castle repels them almost every year until 1573[1]
Oda Nobunaga's army enters the castle on its way to attack the Asakura[1]
Kimura Sadamitsu becomes lord and rebuilds the castle in stone[1]
The Wakasa Kuniyoshi Castle History Museum opens[2]
Named No. 139 of the Next 100 Fine Castles of Japan[1][6]
Buildings and remains
The keep today
No keep was built
A Sengoku-period mountain castle with no known keep (the Japan Castle Foundation list shows none).
The site today
Baileys, stone walls, earthen banks and ridge trenches survive in the woods on Shiroyama. At the foot are the lord's residence site and the museum on the magistrate's office site, with the old castle town of Sakaki beyond.
Main buildings
Site only
Lord's residence site
Excavation found the front stone wall, earthen banks, a stone-lined drain and building foundation stones.[4][5]
Key facts
Type
Castle
Setting
Mountain castle (yamajiro)built on a mountain; expect a climbEditorial article
Period
Medieval (c.1185–1570s), Early modern (1570s–1871)Editorial article
Keep (tenshu)
No keep was builtthe castle never had a keepEditorial article
Mihama Town Historic Site (Kuniyoshi Castle ruins)Editorial article
Selection
Next 100 Fine Castles No. 136Japan Castle Foundation
Visiting
Access
Open to visitors
The castle site is explored on foot along mountain trails. The museum at the foot charges admission. The Next 100 Castles stamp is at the museum: ask at reception when it is open, or use the stamp stand beside the front entrance on closed days.
25–45 minutes on foot to the museum along Route 27 toward Tsuruga (times vary), or about 15–25 minutes by rental bicycle. From the Tsuruga-bound bus, get off at Sakaki-guchi (5 minutes' walk); from the Mihama community bus, at Sakaki (3 minutes). On weekends and holidays the Gokoichi Bus stops at Wakasa Kuniyoshijo-guchi (10 minutes' walk; scheduled April 4 – December 6 in 2026). The castle is a climb up from the museum.[2]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Hours and admission
Wakasa Kuniyoshi Castle History Museum
Hours
9:00–17:00; December–March 10:00–16:30 (last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed
Mondays (or the next day if Monday is a holiday), the day after national holidays, December 29 – January 3, and occasional closures
Admission
Adults 100 yen; junior high school students and younger 50 yen. Group discounts for 20+. Free for holders of disability certificates and preschool children.[2]
Checked: 2026-10-03
By car / parking
About 20 minutes from Tsuruga or 40 minutes from Obama via Route 27, and about 5 minutes from Wakasa-Mihama IC on the Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway. The museum has parking for 50 cars.[2][3]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Grounds opening hours
Not confirmedChecked: 2026-10-03
Time neededEditors' estimate
Allow about 2 hours for the museum plus a round trip to the summit.
Steps, slopes and footing
A zigzag mountain trail climbs to the summit bailey.[5]
Wheelchairs and strollers
Not confirmedChecked: 2026-10-03
Toilets and rest
Not confirmed
English signs / audio guide
Not confirmed
Seasons
Not confirmed
Photography
Not confirmed
Works, closures and restrictions
The museum sometimes closes temporarily; check the town's closure calendar before visiting.[2]Checked: 2026-10-03
A Registered Tangible Cultural Property whose main house and reception rooms (moved from the Sakaki magistrate's office) now stand at the Wakasa Kuniyoshi Castle History Museum.[2]
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
Good for fans of Sengoku siege stories, anyone who likes walking among the baileys and stone walls of a mountain castle, and those who want to see a castle together with its town.
What makes it interesting
Start at the museum to learn about the sieges and Sakaki's history, then climb. Looking down on Tsubaki Pass from the summit shows why the castle mattered on the border road. The baileys stepping down the northwest ridge are another highlight.
Before you go
The summit is reached by a mountain trail, so wear good shoes. The museum is closed on Mondays and the day after holidays, and buses are infrequent.
Ways to enjoy it
After coming down, stroll the streets of Sakaki to see how a castle town became a post town. The old stone Buddhas gathered on the summit are said to have been used as missiles during the sieges.
Photos
Visitor reviews
Be the first to review
Have you visited this castle? We'd love to hear from you.
Write a review
Open questions
The 1556 founding date is traditional. The number and years of the Asakura attacks rely heavily on Kuniyoshi Rojoki, and some researchers think certain of the attacks did not happen.
The story that the stone Buddhas on the summit were used as missiles is a tradition; we found no official source confirming it.
The castle was abandoned 'early in the Edo period'; the exact year could not be confirmed. We also could not confirm the year of the town designation, trail times, toilets or English signage.
TR15336300101CC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons
.jpg){kind=link}