CastleMountain castle (yamajiro)Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 66
What makes this castle distinctive
On autumn and winter mornings, the red-tiled castle town sinks under fog while the high stone walls on the mountaintop float above it.
Why?
Tsuwano Castle stands on Mount Reiki, 362 m high and about 200 m above the town. When conditions are right in autumn and winter, morning fog fills the valley and the castle walls seem to float above it; the town calls it a castle in the sky. The best time is usually around 7 a.m., and in that season the chairlift runs early.[2][4][5]
The high walls of Sanjukken-dai and Hitojichi-kuruwa
Where
The main castle on the summit, about 20 minutes' walk from the top of the chairlift.
What to look at
The tiered high walls, and from Sanjukken-dai the view down to the town's red Sekishu roof tiles and Mount Aono (907 m) beyond.
Why it's interesting
After Sekigahara, the new lord Sakazaki Naomori rebuilt the Yoshimi clan's medieval mountain fort as an early modern castle with high stone walls. The buildings were dismantled in the Meiji era, but tier upon tier of walls still stands on the summit, evidence of a huge project done by hand. The town names Sanjukken-dai as the best photo spot.[2][5][8]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideFree to visit; reach it by chairlift or on foot.
The stone keep base and the flat area on top of it.
Why it's interesting
The main and second enclosures once held a three-tiered keep and turrets, but the keep burned after a lightning strike in 1686 and was never rebuilt. Today only the stones recall that a keep once stood on this mountaintop.[5][2][10]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideFree to visit.
03
Demaru (Oribe-maru), the detached outwork
Where
North of the main castle.
What to look at
The high walls of the outwork and the foundation stones of its two-story turret.
Why it's interesting
Tsuwano was a split castle with a separate outwork besides the main castle, and the main approach ran between them, a layout made for real combat. Built under Sakazaki Naomori, the outwork is also called Oribe-maru after Ukita Oribe, the senior retainer who oversaw the work.[2][5][6]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideOpen to visitors (both the outwork and the main castle were open as of August 2026).
At a glance for visitors
Nearest station
60 min walk from JR Tsuwano Station
Climb
Steep climb
Time neededEditors' estimate
About 1.5 hours to take the lift up, walk to the main enclosure and back (about 40 minutes round trip from the top station) and look around.
Admission
Round trip: adults 700 yen, elementary age and under 500 yen. One way: adults 400 yen, children 300 yen. Groups of 20+ and disability discount: round trip 600 yen adults, 400 yen children.
Hours
9:00–16:30 (last descent 16:20)
Access
Open to visitors
The site is free to visit; go up by chairlift or on foot by trails such as the Chugoku Nature Trail. The Japan 100 Castles stamp is at the chairlift base station and is available even when the lift is not running.
Tsuwano Castle sits on Mount Reiki, a steep peak with the Tsuwano River curving around three of its sides, and the castle makes full use of that terrain. The layout of the medieval castle stretches about 2 km from north to south.[6][5]
02
Tradition
A medieval fort of the Yoshimi clan
Tradition says the castle was begun in 1295 by Yoshimi Yoriyuki, who came from Noto province as a local steward, and completed 30 years later in 1324 under his son Yorinao. The Yoshimi clan held it for 14 generations.[5][8]
03
Historical record
Rebuilt in stone by Sakazaki Naomori
After Sekigahara, Sakazaki Naomori arrived in 1601 as lord of a 30,000-koku domain and rebuilt the castle with high stone walls, adding the outwork. In 1617 Kamei Masanori moved here from Shikano Castle in Inaba with a 43,000-koku domain, and the castle remained the seat of 11 generations of the Kamei family until the Meiji Restoration. The domain offices and the lord's residence were placed at the foot of the mountain rather than on the steep summit.[5][6][10]
04
Historical record
Lightning took the keep; the rest went in the Meiji era
The three-tiered keep burned after lightning in 1686 and was never rebuilt, and most remaining buildings were dismantled in 1874–1875. On the summit, stone walls, dry moats and trenches survive, so medieval and early modern defenses can be seen on the same mountain. At the foot, Babasaki Yagura and Monomi Yagura, turrets of the lord's residence, still stand.[5][8][10][6]
05
Historical record
Historic site, chairlift and illuminations
The site became a National Historic Site in 1942, and a sightseeing chairlift to the summit opened in 1971. It was named one of Japan's 100 Fine Castles in 2006. Since July 2023 the walls have been lit every night, visible from the town below.[10][3][5]
The three-tiered keep burned after lightning in 1686 and was not rebuilt. Only its base remains, as the Japan Castle Foundation notes.
The site today
The stone walls, enclosures and dry moats of the main castle and outwork remain on the summit of Mount Reiki; no buildings survive there. At the foot, on the site of the domain residence, Babasaki Yagura and Monomi Yagura still stand.
Corner turret by the main gate of the lord's residence at the foot of the mountain.[10]
Original
Monomi Yagura (residence turret)
Survives as a turret of the residence at the foot.[10]
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)
Keep lostthe castle had a keep, but it no longer stands (its stone base may remain)Editorial article
Built by
Sakazaki NaomoriJapan Castle Foundation
Built
1295Japan Castle Foundation
Main lords
Kamei clanJapan Castle Foundation
Abandoned
1871Wikipedia (ja)
Remains to see
Turrets or turret bases, Stone walls, Moats, Baileys / enclosures (kuruwa), Fortified gateways (koguchi), Keep base (tenshudai)Editorial article
Designation
National Historic Site (Tsuwano Castle ruins) (1942)Editorial article
Selection
Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 66Japan Castle Foundation
Visiting
Access
Open to visitors
The site is free to visit; go up by chairlift or on foot by trails such as the Chugoku Nature Trail. The Japan 100 Castles stamp is at the chairlift base station and is available even when the lift is not running.
About an hour on foot all the way from the station. Using the lift: about 5 minutes by car from the station to the lift, 5 minutes on the lift, and about 20 minutes' walk from the top station to the main enclosure. Climbing on foot from the foot of the mountain takes about 40 minutes.[7][8]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Hours and admission
Tsuwano Castle chairlift
Hours
9:00–16:30 (last descent 16:20)
Closed
No service on weekdays from December 1 to the end of February (runs on weekends, holidays and January 1–3). Occasional closures for inspections.
Admission
Round trip: adults 700 yen, elementary age and under 500 yen. One way: adults 400 yen, children 300 yen. Groups of 20+ and disability discount: round trip 600 yen adults, 400 yen children.[1]
Checked: 2026-10-03
By car / parking
Free parking (15 spaces) at the chairlift base. Set your navigation to the Tsuwano Castle chairlift or Taikodani Inari Shrine; the lift and parking are about 100 m before the shrine.[1]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Grounds opening hours
Open at all times. The walls are lit at night (18:00–21:00 October–April, 19:00–22:00 May–September), but the lift does not run at night; the lighting is meant to be seen from below.[8][3]Checked: 2026-10-03
Time neededEditors' estimate
About 1.5 hours to take the lift up, walk to the main enclosure and back (about 40 minutes round trip from the top station) and look around.
Steps, slopes and footing
From the top of the lift you walk a mountain path, so wear good shoes. The height difference from the foot is about 200 m.[1][5]
Wheelchairs and strollers
Not confirmedChecked: 2026-10-03
Toilets and rest
Not confirmed
English signs / audio guide
Not confirmed
Seasons
On autumn and winter mornings you may see the castle floating above the fog, usually around 7 a.m., when the lift runs early. Autumn leaves are also recommended.[4][8]
Photography
Not confirmed
Works, closures and restrictions
The chairlift was closed September 14–15, 2026, for inspections (you can still walk up). As of August 2026 both the outwork and the main castle were open, and the trails from below Taikodani Inari Shrine, from Washibara Hachimangu and the Shiroyama main approach were all passable.[6]Checked: 2026-10-03
Suggested routes
By chairlift to the summit walls 90 min
Ride the chairlift about 5 minutes from the base station (where the 100 Castles stamp is)
Walk about 20 minutes along the mountain path to the main castle
Pass the Sandan Yagura and east gate sites into the main enclosure
See the keep base and the high walls of Sanjukken-dai and Hitojichi-kuruwa
Look out over the castle town and Mount Aono from Sanjukken-dai
Return the same way and ride the lift down (last descent 16:20)
Lift and walking times are from Tsuwano Town and Shimane Prefecture. The total, including time on the site, is an editorial estimate. Allow extra if you also visit the outwork.
Introduces the Tsuwano Hyakkei-zu, a set of paintings of late-Edo Tsuwano whose first two scenes show the castle's main enclosure and outwork.[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
For travelers who want mountaintop stone walls and big views, and for those hoping to catch the castle above the morning fog. The chairlift makes this real mountain castle easier to reach than most.
What makes it interesting
Stand on Sanjukken-dai and look down on the red-tiled town and Mount Aono. Looking up at the high walls of Hitojichi-kuruwa and the keep base shows the scale of hauling all that stone up a mountain. If you have time, continue to the outwork.
Before you go
The lift does not run on winter weekdays (December–February), and the last ride down is at 16:20. From the top it is a 20-minute mountain walk to the main enclosure. There are no buildings on the summit, only walls and enclosures.
Ways to enjoy it
If you stay overnight in autumn or winter, look for the castle above the fog around 7 a.m. from a high spot overlooking the town, such as along Route 9. At night you can see the illuminated walls from the town.
Photos
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Open questions
The founding by the Yoshimi clan in 1295–1324 is based on tradition.
The town and tourism association describe it as Japan's greatest mountain castle and its layout as the longest in Japan; these are their own claims.
Sources differ on parking at the lift (15, 10 or 30 spaces) and on stamp hours (9:00–17:00 per the town, 9:00–16:30 per the tourism association). This article follows the town.
Details on the two residence turrets and the year of national designation come from Wikipedia. Toilets, accessibility, English information and photo rules could not be confirmed.
TT mk2CC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons
