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Mount Kyusho and the layered stone walls of Tottori Castle at its foot, April 2019. The summit holds the older mountaintop castle; the walls below are the Edo-period lower castle.
Saigen JiroCC0Wikimedia Commons

Tottori · Tottori

Tottori Castle

鳥取城

Tottori, Tottori

CastleHilltop castle (hirayamajiro)Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 63

What makes this castle distinctive

At the foot of a stone wall bulges a second wall with no corners at all: the Maki-ishigaki, which Tottori City says is the only rounded wall of its kind at any castle in Japan.

Why?

The Maki-ishigaki at Tenkyumaru was added around 1807, late in the Edo period, to stop the wall behind it from collapsing. Other castles have reinforcing walls built for the same reason, but they all have corners; the city says only Tottori's is shaped like part of a sphere. It is thought to borrow techniques used for riverbanks and levees, and it was restored in 2012.[2][5]

Three things not to miss

01
The rounded Maki-ishigaki wall at Tenkyumaru, August 2014. Added late in the Edo period to keep the wall behind it from collapsing, it was restored in 2012.HeartoftheworldCC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons

The rounded Maki-ishigaki at Tenkyumaru

Where
Tenkyumaru, the terrace one level above the ninomaru (second enclosure), about 5 minutes' walk from the ninomaru.
What to look at
The half-dome of stone bulging out in front of the tall wall behind it.
Why it's interesting
It was built to prop up a wall that was starting to bulge, and the city says this cornerless spherical form is unique among Japanese castles. Note that Tenkyumaru is not the name of the wall but of the terrace, named after Tenkyu-in, a woman who lived there in the early Edo period.[2][5][8]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideViewable from Tenkyumaru at any time. Part of the lower plaza is fenced off for ongoing work.
02
The restored Giboshi Bridge and the outer gate of Naka-no-gomon, December 2025, with the inner gatehouse behind.TerumasaCC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons

The rebuilt Giboshi Bridge and Naka-no-gomon gate

Where
The main bridge over the inner moat and the main gate beyond it, the castle's front entrance.
What to look at
The length of the wooden bridge, the hollyhock-crest roof tiles on the gate, and the pairing of the outer gate with the two-story gatehouse behind it.
Why it's interesting
Giboshi Bridge was rebuilt in 2018 for the first time in about 120 years, and the city calls it the longest reconstructed wooden castle bridge in Japan. Naka-no-gomon was the main gate built by Ikeda Mitsumasa in 1621 and torn down in 1875; its outer gate was rebuilt in 2021 and its gatehouse in 2025. The hollyhock-crest tiles, normally reserved for the Tokugawa, were used because lord Ikeda Mitsunaka was a great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.[1][3][4][5]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideSince April 2025 you can walk through Naka-no-gomon at any time.
03
The keep base in the mountaintop enclosure at the summit of Mount Kyusho, April 2007.ReggaemanCC BY-SA 3.0Wikimedia Commons

The keep base on the summit of Mount Kyusho

Where
The mountaintop enclosure (Sanjo-no-maru) at the summit of Mount Kyusho, 263 m high.
What to look at
The big stone base of the keep and the view over Tottori city. To the east you can see Honjin-yama (Taikogana), where Hideyoshi set up his headquarters.
Why it's interesting
The summit preserves the mountain castle of the warring-states era and early Edo period. After a steep climb you can see why it was praised as one of the finest mountain strongholds in Japan, both for defense and for the view. You can also see Honjin-yama just as the defending commander Kikkawa Tsuneie would have seen it.[5][1][12]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideReachable on foot by a steep hiking trail.

At a glance for visitors

Nearest station
from JR Tottori Station
Climb
Some climbing
Time neededEditors' estimate
About an hour for the lower castle, Tenkyumaru and Naka-no-gomon (a local guide group estimates 60 minutes). Allow considerably more if you climb to the summit.
Admission
Not confirmed
Hours
9:00–17:00
Access
Open to visitors

The castle grounds (Kyusho Park) are free to walk. The summit enclosure is reached by hiking trail. Part of the plaza below Tenkyumaru is fenced off for works. Jinpukaku has been closed for about five years of conservation work since December 29, 2023 (Horyuin Garden and Hosen-an remain open). The Japan 100 Castles stamp is at the Tottori Castle Ruins & Jinpukaku Exhibition Hall (closed Mondays; when it is closed, use the Tottori Prefectural Museum, Tottori City Hall or the Tottori Furusato Bussankan shop, among others).

Checked:

View on mapOpen in Google MapsTottori City: Tottori Castle ruins (Japanese)Tottori City tourism site: Tottori Castle (Japanese)

The story of this castle

01
Tradition

A steep, isolated mountain

Tottori Castle is said to have begun in 1545, when Yamana Nobumichi, lord of Inaba province, built an outpost on Mount Kyusho. The mountain stands steep and almost isolated, with a wide view from the top, making it easy to defend. Oda Nobunaga himself later praised it as a fine castle.[10][1]

02
Historical record

Hideyoshi's starvation siege

In 1581 Hashiba (later Toyotomi) Hideyoshi surrounded the castle with about 70 siege forts and cut off its food supply. Some 4,000 soldiers and townspeople who had fled there were trapped inside. When the food ran out, Kikkawa Tsuneie, the commander sent by the Mori clan, took his own life on October 25 on condition that the people inside be spared. Taikogana, Hideyoshi's headquarters on nearby Honjin-yama, is part of the same National Historic Site.[6][1]

03
Historical record

Expanded for a 320,000-koku domain

In the Edo period the Ikeda family took over. Ikeda Mitsumasa, grandson of Ikeda Terumasa who built Himeji Castle, greatly enlarged the castle at the foot of the mountain to suit the Tottori domain (han), whose 320,000 koku made it the twelfth largest in Japan. Because craftsmen who had worked on Himeji's keep were brought in, it is sometimes called Himeji's younger brother. After Mitsumasa, the line of Ikeda Mitsunaka, a great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, ruled until the end of the shogunate.[1]

04
Historical record

Lightning took the keep; the Meiji era took the rest

The keep on the summit burned after a lightning strike in 1692 and was never rebuilt; the three-story turret in the ninomaru became the castle's symbol instead. After the castle lost its role in the Meiji era, its turrets and gates were removed one after another, including the main gate, Naka-no-gomon, in 1875. The only castle building said to survive is Hosen-an, part of the Ogi Goten palace built at the very end of the Edo period.[12][3][9]

05
Historical record

Restoring a 'museum of castles'

The castle site became a National Historic Site in 1957. With a warring-states mountain castle on the summit, Edo-period walls at the foot and even Jinpukaku, a Meiji-era Western-style mansion, it is nicknamed a museum of castles. Tottori City drew up a restoration plan in 2005 and has since rebuilt the Maki-ishigaki (2012), Giboshi Bridge (2018) and Naka-no-gomon (2021 and 2025). In 2025 it began research toward rebuilding the ninomaru's three-story turret, which served as the castle's keep.[1][2][3][10]

People of this castle

Timeline

  1. by tradition

    Yamana Nobumichi is said to build a fort on Mount Kyusho[10]

  2. Hideyoshi's starvation siege; Kikkawa Tsuneie takes his life and the castle surrenders[6]

  3. Ikeda Mitsumasa builds the main gate, Naka-no-gomon[3][4]

  4. The summit keep burns after a lightning strike[12]

  5. Designated a National Historic Site[10]

  6. Giboshi Bridge is rebuilt[1]

  7. Naka-no-gomon's gatehouse is completed, restoring the whole main gate[3]

Buildings and remains

The keep today

Keep lost

The summit keep burned after lightning in 1692 and was never rebuilt; only its base remains. During the Edo period the three-story turret in the ninomaru served as the keep.

The site today

The site covers the summit of Mount Kyusho (the upper castle) and its foot (the lower castle). The lower area is Kyusho Park, with stone walls, moats, the rebuilt bridge and gate, Jinpukaku mansion and the prefectural museum. Taikogana, Hideyoshi's siege headquarters, is part of the same National Historic Site.

Main buildings

Lost

Keep (upper castle)

Burned 1692; the base remains.[12][11]

Lost

Three-story turret of the ninomaru

Removed in the Meiji era. Research toward rebuilding it began in 2025.[3]

Rebuilt in wood

Giboshi Bridge

Rebuilt in wood in 2018; about 37 m long.[1]

Rebuilt in wood

Naka-no-gomon (outer gate and gatehouse)

Removed in 1875. Outer gate rebuilt in wood in 2021, gatehouse in 2025.[3][4]

Original

Hosen-an (part of the former Ogi Goten palace)

Tea room said to be the only surviving castle building, in Horyuin Garden.[9][12]

Key facts

Type
Castle
Setting
Hilltop castle (hirayamajiro)built on a low hill rising from the plainEditorial article
Period
Medieval (c.1185–1570s), Early modern (1570s–1871)Editorial article
Keep (tenshu)
Keep lostthe castle had a keep, but it no longer stands (its stone base may remain)Editorial article
Built by
Ikeda Mitsumasa, Yamana Nobumichi, Miyabe Keijun, Ikeda NagayoshiJapan Castle Foundation
Built
1602Japan Castle Foundation
Main lords
Ikeda clan, Takeda clan, Yamana clan, Kikkawa familyJapan Castle Foundation
Abandoned
1871Wikipedia (ja)
Remains to see
Stone walls, Moats, Wells, Gates, Baileys / enclosures (kuruwa), Keep base (tenshudai), Fortified gateways (koguchi)Editorial article
Designation
National Historic Site (Tottori Castle ruins, with Taikogana) (1957)Editorial article
Selection
Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 63Japan Castle Foundation

Visiting

Access

Open to visitors

The castle grounds (Kyusho Park) are free to walk. The summit enclosure is reached by hiking trail. Part of the plaza below Tenkyumaru is fenced off for works. Jinpukaku has been closed for about five years of conservation work since December 29, 2023 (Horyuin Garden and Hosen-an remain open). The Japan 100 Castles stamp is at the Tottori Castle Ruins & Jinpukaku Exhibition Hall (closed Mondays; when it is closed, use the Tottori Prefectural Museum, Tottori City Hall or the Tottori Furusato Bussankan shop, among others).

Address

2-chome Higashimachi, Tottori, Tottori 680-0011[7][1]

Checked: 2026-10-03

Nearest stations and how to get there

JR Tottori StationJR San'in Line, Inbi Line

Some climbing

From stop 0 at Tottori Station bus terminal, take the 100-yen Kururi loop bus (green route) about 8 minutes to Jinpukaku/Kenritsu Hakubutsukan or Shiritsu Budokan; the castle is right there. On weekends and holidays the Loop Kirin Jishi bus takes about 9 minutes to the Tottori-jo-ato stop, then a 5-minute walk. Kururi buses run about every 20 minutes.[7][8]

Checked: 2026-10-03

Hours and admission

Tottori Castle Ruins & Jinpukaku Exhibition Hall (visitor center)
Hours
9:00–17:00
Closed
Mondays (open if a holiday), the weekday after a holiday, and the New Year period
Admission
Not confirmed[5]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Horyuin Garden and Hosen-an
Hours
9:00–17:00
Closed
Mondays (open if a holiday), the day after a holiday, and the New Year period
Admission
Not confirmed[8][9]
Checked: 2026-10-03

By car / parking

About 20 minutes by car from Tottori IC on the Tottori Expressway. There is no dedicated parking; use nearby lots (some paid). Street parking is prohibited.[7][13]

Checked: 2026-10-03
Grounds opening hours
Park opening hours could not be confirmed. The castle site is lit up year-round.[5]Checked: 2026-10-03
Time neededEditors' estimate
About an hour for the lower castle, Tenkyumaru and Naka-no-gomon (a local guide group estimates 60 minutes). Allow considerably more if you climb to the summit.
Steps, slopes and footing
The lower castle is terraced with stone steps. Reaching the summit enclosure means a steep mountain climb.[5][12]
Wheelchairs and strollers
Not confirmedChecked: 2026-10-03
Toilets and rest
Not confirmed
English signs / audio guide
The Tottori City tourism website has an English version. On-site English signage is not confirmed.[7]
Seasons
One of the prefecture's best cherry blossom spots in spring, mostly Somei-yoshino, with autumn leaves in fall. The Tottori 320,000-Koku Castle Festival is held every autumn; in 2026 the main day is October 4, with an eve event the day before.[7][13][5]
Photography
Not confirmed
Works, closures and restrictions
Jinpukaku is closed for about five years of conservation work from December 29, 2023, and since late September 2025 the building has been covered and cannot be seen. On October 4, 2026, the moat-side road closes from 10:30 for the castle festival, and the Kururi green route is diverted.[7][13]Checked: 2026-10-03

Suggested routes

3 hours from the station: around Tottori Castle 180 min

  1. Take the Kururi bus (green route) from stop 0 at Tottori Station bus terminal, about 8 minutes, to Jinpukaku/Kenritsu Hakubutsukan
  2. Walk about 15 minutes up to the ninomaru to see the turret base and the view over the city
  3. Walk about 5 minutes to the Maki-ishigaki at Tenkyumaru
  4. Walk about 10 minutes to Horyuin Garden and Hosen-an (Jinpukaku itself is closed for repairs)
  5. Return to Tottori Station by Kururi bus

Based on the Tottori City tourism site's model course (about 3 hours). It does not include the summit. Entering by the rebuilt Giboshi Bridge and Naka-no-gomon lets you follow the castle's Edo-period front approach.

Around the castle

Museum

Tottori City History Museum (Yamabiko-kan)

City museum focusing on the castle, its town and the Tottori domain, including a model of the siege positions. 9:00–17:00; closed Mondays (open on holidays), the weekday after a holiday, and New Year.[5][6][13]

Checked: 2026-10-03

Museum

Tottori Prefectural Museum

Prefectural museum at the foot of Mount Kyusho, inside the castle site, covering Tottori's nature, history and art. Closed Mondays.[13][5]

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 stone wall fans, people curious about a castle being rebuilt right now, and anyone who wants to stand where Hideyoshi's famous siege took place. It also fits easily into a day trip with the Tottori Sand Dunes.

What makes it interesting

Walk the Edo-period front approach across Giboshi Bridge and through Naka-no-gomon, then climb from the ninomaru to Tenkyumaru to see the rounded Maki-ishigaki. If you have the energy, hike to the keep base on the summit and look across at Hideyoshi's headquarters on Honjin-yama to grasp how close the besiegers were.

Before you go

There is no keep; only its base has stood on the summit since 1692. There is no dedicated parking, so the bus is easiest. Jinpukaku is closed long-term for repairs. The 100 Castles stamp location changes on Mondays, so check before you go.

Ways to enjoy it

Look for the heart-shaped Inome-ishi stone in front of Naka-no-gomon. It is thought to have been set there as a charm against evil when the gate was built in 1621. Cherry blossom season and the evening illuminations are also good times to visit.

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Open questions

Sources

  1. 1
    国指定史跡「史跡鳥取城跡附太閤ヶ平」にようこそ!鳥取市(文化財課)municipalChecked:
  2. 2
    史跡鳥取城跡天球丸『巻石垣』(復元)について鳥取市(文化財課)municipalChecked:
  3. 3
    鳥取城中ノ御門渡櫓門の復元について鳥取市(文化財課)municipalChecked:
  4. 4
    鳥取城中ノ御門表門の復元について鳥取市(文化財課)municipalChecked:
  5. 5
    鳥取城跡「日本にかくれなき名山」に築かれた城鳥取市観光サイト(とりかん)tourismChecked:
  6. 6
    幻の一大決戦!秀吉vs.毛利 〜真説「鳥取城の戦い」〜鳥取市観光サイト(とりかん)tourismChecked:
  7. 7
    鳥取城跡・久松公園鳥取市観光サイト(とりかん)tourismChecked:
  8. 8
    【3時間】駅から出発!ぐるり鳥取城跡 3時間コース鳥取市観光サイト(とりかん)tourismChecked:
  9. 9
    仁風閣・宝扇庵・宝隆院庭園鳥取市観光サイト(とりかん)tourismChecked:
  10. 10
    鳥取城跡 附太閤ヶ平(国指定文化財等データベース)文化庁heritageChecked:
  11. 11
    日本100名城 一覧公益財団法人日本城郭協会jokakuChecked:
  12. 12
    鳥取城(補助資料)Wikipedia日本語版otherChecked:
  13. 13
    鳥取城跡へのアクセスと周辺のグルメ・観光施設情報鳥取市観光サイト(とりかん)tourismChecked:
  14. 14
    List of Japan's 100 Fine Castles and the Next 100公益財団法人日本城郭協会jokakuChecked:
  15. 15
    Wikipedia「鳥取城」Wikipedia日本語版wikipediaChecked:
  16. 16
    Wikidata Q1073699WikidatawikidataChecked:
  17. 17
    OpenStreetMap node/6098406250© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)osmChecked:

Listing status

  1. Candidate foundChecked
  2. Confirmed as a castle siteChecked
  3. Basic informationChecked
  4. In-depth articleChecked
  5. Photo rights checkedChecked
  6. Visit info checkedChecked

Castles nearby

Karasuganeyama Castle0.7 km · No keep recordedTaikōganaru1.4 km · No keep recordedOumi Maruyama Castle1.6 km · No keep recordedInaba Niiyama Castle3.9 km · No keep recordedInaba Hebiayama Castle4.5 km · No keep recordedTenjinyama Castle (Inaba)5.8 km · Keep lost

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