CastleHilltop castle (hirayamajiro)Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 40
What makes this castle distinctive
This is the castle where Tokugawa Ieyasu was born, and the well said to have supplied his first bath still survives on the grounds.
Why?
In 1542, Tokugawa Ieyasu, later founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, was born inside Okazaki Castle under the childhood name Takechiyo. In the Edo period it was honored as the birthplace of the deified Ieyasu, and only high-ranking daimyo (feudal lords) from families loyal to the Tokugawa were given it. Okazaki Castle Park still has sites tied to his birth, such as the well for his first bath and a mound where his afterbirth is said to be buried.[2][9][17]
The Tosho-ko Ubuyu Well and the nearby Tosho-ko Ena-zuka mound in Okazaki Castle Park.
What to look at
The stone-lined well and the stone marker beside it reading "Tosho-ko Ubuyu" (Ieyasu's first bath).
Why it's interesting
Tradition says water from this well was used to bathe Takechiyo, the future Ieyasu, when he was born in the castle on December 26, 1542 (lunar calendar). It is the most direct reminder that this is where he was born.[9][2][17]
The deep floor of the moat and the stone facing on its slopes.
Why it's interesting
This dry moat was dug to protect the north of the honmaru. It takes its name from Seikai Nyudo, the religious name of Saigo Yoritsugu, who first founded the castle. The keep is a reconstruction, but moats and walls like this one preserve the shape of the old castle.[8][2]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideVisible from the path above (free).
The keep in the honmaru. See the outside from the Shinkyo bridge and Tatsuki moat area, and the inside with a ticket.
What to look at
How a well turret joins the keep on the east and an annex turret on the south.
Why it's interesting
The keep built in 1617 by lord Honda Yasunori had three tiers and a basement, with a well turret on the east and an annex turret on the south. After it was torn down in the Meiji era, local people's wishes led to its reconstruction in reinforced concrete in 1959, with an exterior close to the original. Inside are displays on the history of the castle and town and on local traditional industries.[2][1][4][15]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideThe exterior is free to view. The interior requires a ticket; you can keep your shoes on. There is no elevator, only stairs (79 steps).
At a glance for visitors
Nearest station
15 min walk from Meitetsu Higashi-Okazaki Station
Climb
Not confirmed
Time neededEditors' estimate
The official guide estimates 40 minutes for the keep. Allow about 1.5 hours to also see the moats and wells in the park.
Admission
Adults (junior high and up) 300 yen; children (5 and up) 150 yen. Groups of 20+ 240 yen per adult. Combined ticket with the Ieyasu-kan museum 650 yen for adults. Free for Okazaki elementary and junior high students, Okazaki residents 65 and over, and holders of disability certificates plus one companion.
Hours
9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Access
Open to visitors
Okazaki Castle Park is free to enter; the keep's interior requires a ticket. You can wear your shoes inside, and there are free lockers on the first floor. Since May 2021 pets are not allowed in the keep (guide and service dogs are). The Japan 100 Castles stamp is at the shop (rest area) on the keep's first floor.
Okazaki has long been a crossroads where the Tokaido highway met river transport. An Edo-period song boasted that although Okazaki's lord held only 50,000 koku of rice, boats could sail right up to his castle town. The Tokaido was later routed through the town, which grew into one of the leading post towns on the highway.[1][2][13]
02
Historical record
Founded by the Saigo, moved by Matsudaira Kiyoyasu
Okazaki Castle traces its origins to around 1455, when Saigo Yoritsugu built a fort at Myodaiji. Later, Ieyasu's grandfather Matsudaira Kiyoyasu moved the castle to its present site, which then came to be called Okazaki Castle. At first it is thought to have been a small, fort-like stronghold.[2][13]
03
Historical record
Ieyasu's birthplace and first base
Ieyasu was born at Okazaki Castle in 1542. He was sent as a hostage to the Oda family at age six and to the Imagawa family at eight, spending his boyhood away from home. When Imagawa Yoshimoto was killed at the Battle of Okehazama in 1560, the 19-year-old Ieyasu returned to Okazaki and struck out on his own. In 1570 he moved his base to Hamamatsu and made his eldest son, Nobuyasu, lord of Okazaki.[2]
04
Historical record
Tanaka Yoshimasa's expansion and the Edo period
When Ieyasu was moved to the Kanto region in 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's retainer Tanaka Yoshimasa became lord and greatly expanded the castle. In 1592 he dug an outer moat 4.7 km long around its east, north and west. In the Edo period, trusted Tokugawa-allied families such as the Honda and Mizuno held the castle, and in 1617 Honda Yasunori built a keep with attached turrets. The domain (han) was worth only about 50,000 koku, but its lords are said to have taken pride in holding Okazaki.[2]
05
Historical record
Torn down in the Meiji era; moats and walls remain
After the Meiji Restoration, most of the castle buildings were demolished in 1873–74, and for decades only the moats and stone walls hinted at its past. Dry moats such as Seikaibori, stone walls and inner moats survive today.[2][8][12]
06
Historical record
The keep returns in 1959, then a gate and a turret
Because local people could not bear the city having no keep, a five-story reinforced-concrete keep with three outer tiers was built in 1959; the official site calls it a revival (fukko) keep. The Otemon gate followed in 1993 as the park's main entrance, and in 2010 the East Corner Turret was rebuilt in wood based on a 1781 map of the castle. Okazaki was named one of Japan's 100 Fine Castles in 2006.[2][1][11][10][7]
Rebuilt in 1959 in reinforced concrete, with three outer tiers and five floors. The official site calls it a revival keep with an exterior close to the original; the Japan Castle Foundation lists it as a reconstruction.
The site today
The castle site is Okazaki Castle Park, about 10 hectares, with the 1959 keep, the Mikawa Bushi no Yakata Ieyasu-kan history museum and a Noh stage, plus surviving ramparts, inner moats and dry moats.
Main buildings
Modern reconstruction
Keep (tenshu)
Demolished 1873–74 and rebuilt in reinforced concrete in 1959. Exhibition space inside.[2]
Modern reconstruction
East Corner Turret (Higashi Sumi-yagura)
A turret that stood until the early Meiji era, rebuilt in wood in 2010. With no surviving plans, its design drew on a turret of the same era at Matsuyama Castle.[10]
Stone walls, Moats, Gates, Turrets or turret bases, Earthen ramparts, Baileys / enclosures (kuruwa)Editorial article
Designation
Okazaki City Historic SiteEditorial article
Selection
Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 40Japan Castle Foundation
Visiting
Access
Open to visitors
Okazaki Castle Park is free to enter; the keep's interior requires a ticket. You can wear your shoes inside, and there are free lockers on the first floor. Since May 2021 pets are not allowed in the keep (guide and service dogs are). The Japan 100 Castles stamp is at the shop (rest area) on the keep's first floor.
Adults (junior high and up) 300 yen; children (5 and up) 150 yen. Groups of 20+ 240 yen per adult. Combined ticket with the Ieyasu-kan museum 650 yen for adults. Free for Okazaki elementary and junior high students, Okazaki residents 65 and over, and holders of disability certificates plus one companion.[3][4]
Checked: 2026-10-03
By car / parking
Okazaki Castle Park parking (150 cars, plus a bus-priority lot). Cars pay 150 yen per 30 minutes (7:00–22:00) normally, or 300 yen per 30 minutes in busy periods such as the cherry blossom festival. About 3 km from Okazaki IC on the Tomei Expressway. The lots may be unavailable during events such as fireworks.[12][6]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Grounds opening hours
Not confirmedChecked: 2026-10-03
Time neededEditors' estimate
The official guide estimates 40 minutes for the keep. Allow about 1.5 hours to also see the moats and wells in the park.
Steps, slopes and footing
Inside the keep there is no elevator, only stairs (79 steps).[4]
Wheelchairs and strollers
The keep is not barrier-free and has no elevator. The park parking lot has six spaces for drivers with disabilities.[4][12]Checked: 2026-10-03
Toilets and rest
Not confirmed
English signs / audio guide
The tourism association's site offers machine-translated English. English signage inside the keep is not confirmed.[1]
Seasons
In spring the cherry blossom festival fills the park and parking switches to peak-season rates. On event days such as fireworks displays, the parking lots may be unavailable.[12][6]
Photography
Photos are allowed inside the keep, but no flash, and tripods are not allowed.[4][5]
Works, closures and restrictions
No notices of construction or closures were found.[1]Checked: 2026-10-03
A history museum inside Okazaki Castle Park covering Ieyasu's life from birth to the unification of Japan and the Mikawa samurai who supported him (renovated March 2024). A combined ticket with the keep is available.[16][3]
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
Suited to anyone tracing the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu or drawn in by historical dramas about him. It is a park in the middle of town, within walking distance of the station.
What makes it interesting
Get the history of the castle and town from the keep's exhibits, then visit the Ubuyu Well and the afterbirth mound for the stories of Ieyasu's birth, and see how deep Seikaibori is to understand the castle's defenses dating back to medieval times.
Before you go
The keep is a 1959 reinforced-concrete reconstruction, with stairs only and no elevator. The park and parking get crowded in cherry blossom season and on event days.
Ways to enjoy it
A combined ticket for the keep and the Ieyasu-kan museum lets you follow the castle's history and Ieyasu's life in one visit. The Tatsuki moat with its vermilion Shinkyo bridge is recommended as a photo spot facing the keep.
Photos
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Open questions
The castle's official history says Matsudaira Kiyoyasu moved it to its present site in 1531, while Okazaki City's history gives 1524 for his move to Okazaki.
The Ubuyu Well and afterbirth mound are sites based on tradition.
The prefectural cultural property noted in the Japan Castle Foundation list, park hours, toilet locations and English guidance could not be confirmed.
Evelyn-roseCC0Wikimedia Commons
