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Tiers of stone walls wrapping Kakuzan hill, with the white Bitchu Yagura (rebuilt in wood in 2005) on the top level. December 2009.
663highlandCC BY 2.5Wikimedia Commons

Okayama · Tsuyama

Tsuyama Castle

津山城

Tsuyama, Okayama

CastleHilltop castle (hirayamajiro)Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 67

What makes this castle distinctive

Only one turret stands today, yet the three tiers of stone walls wrapping an entire hill still show how big this castle was.

Why?

Tsuyama Castle was built by shaping a hill called Tsuruyama into three tiers of stone walls, with the main, second and third enclosures stacked from top to bottom. Every building was torn down in the early Meiji era, but the stone walls survived almost intact. Bitchu Yagura, rebuilt in wood in 2005, helps you picture the more than 60 turrets that once lined the tops of those walls.[2][4][5]

Three things not to miss

01
Tiers of stone walls wrapping Kakuzan hill, with the white Bitchu Yagura (rebuilt in wood in 2005) on the top level. December 2009.663highlandCC BY 2.5Wikimedia Commons

The three-tier "hifumi-dan" stone walls

Where
Throughout the castle site (Kakuzan Park): as you climb from the third enclosure to the second and the main enclosure, and from outside the grounds looking up from the Yoshii River side.
What to look at
How the walls rise in stacked layers, one tier above another, and the sharp edges at their corners.
Why it's interesting
The castle was made by reshaping a hill that rises about 50 m above the surrounding town into three stone-walled tiers, a layout called hifumi-dan ("one-two-three tiers"). With no buildings in the way, the layered walls themselves are easy to see, laying bare the castle's framework.[2][4][8]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideKakuzan Park requires an admission ticket. Parts of the walls can also be seen from outside the park.
02
Bitchu Yagura jutting out from the south edge of the main enclosure, with the town of Tsuyama beyond. December 2009.663highlandCC BY 2.5Wikimedia Commons

Bitchu Yagura, a turret lined with tatami rooms

Where
The south side of the main enclosure (honmaru), where it juts out to the south.
What to look at
Outside, a defensive turret (yagura) with white walls and latticed windows; inside, rooms floored entirely with tatami, like a palace.
Why it's interesting
This was the castle's largest turret after the keep. Inside it was divided into 10 rooms, all laid with tatami. Because it could only be reached by a covered corridor from the lord's residence, it is thought to have been private living space for the lord's family. It was rebuilt in 2005 using the same kinds of materials and techniques as the original, and you can go inside.[4][5][8]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideThe interior is open (9:00–16:30). Entry to the turret is free, but you need a Kakuzan Park ticket.
03
The keep's stone base. A five-story keep stood here until it was torn down in 1874–75. April 2010.上条ジョーCC BY-SA 3.0Wikimedia Commons

The base of the vanished five-story keep

Where
The western end of the main enclosure.
What to look at
The roughly 6 m stone base and the size of the platform on top.
Why it's interesting
A five-story keep (tenshu) with almost no decorative gables once stood here. It was about 22 m tall, with 101 openings for guns and 59 for arrows. Even within the main enclosure it was cut off by walls and gates, so that defenders could make a last stand around the keep alone.[5][6]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideThe base can be seen from outside. The keep itself no longer exists.

At a glance for visitors

Nearest station
10 min walk from JR Tsuyama Station
Climb
Some climbing
Time neededEditors' estimate
Allow 1 to 1.5 hours to climb to the main enclosure and visit Bitchu Yagura.
Admission
Adults (high school age and up) 310 yen; groups of 30+ 240 yen; free for junior high students and younger. Free for holders of disability certificates and one companion.
Hours
April–August 8:40–19:00; March and September 8:40–18:00; January, February and October–December 8:40–17:00 (last entry 30 minutes before closing). During the Cherry Blossom Festival, 7:30–22:00.
Access
Open to visitors

The castle site is open as Kakuzan Park (admission charged). Bitchu Yagura's interior is open (free, but the park ticket is required).

Checked:

View on mapOpen in Google MapsTsuyama Castle (Tsuyama tourism website)History of Tsuyama Castle (Tsuyama Machijuu Museum)Tsuyama Castle (Kakuzan Park), Tsuyama City

The story of this castle

01
Historical record

A hill guarded by rivers

Before the castle, Mimasaka Province (today's northern Okayama Prefecture) had no strong ruler of its own during the warring states period and was fought over by neighboring lords. In 1603, Mori Tadamasa was given the whole province and built his castle on Tsuruyama, a standalone hill north of the Yoshii River. The Miyagawa River on the east served as a moat, and moats and earthen walls (dorui) enclosed the north, west and south.[4][5]

02
Historical record

Thirteen years of work by Mori Ranmaru's brother

Mori Tadamasa was the youngest brother of Mori Ranmaru, who died alongside Oda Nobunaga in the Honnoji Incident of 1582. As lord of a domain worth 186,500 koku, he began work in 1604 and spent 13 years, until 1616, finishing the castle and the town around it. The Mori family ruled for four generations; then the Matsudaira, a branch of the Tokugawa family, took over and held the castle until the Meiji Restoration.[1][4][5]

03
Scholarly interpretation

Over 60 turrets and a keep built for a last stand

More than 60 turrets lined the three tiers of walls. The keep was placed not in the middle of the main enclosure but at its western end, walled and gated off so it could serve as a final stronghold. According to the city's guide, it even had a toilet and a bath inside, built with a long siege in mind.[2][5][6]

04
Historical record

The 1809 fire

A fire in 1809 destroyed the palace in the main enclosure along with its entrance gates, including the Omote-kurogane-mon, a gate whose doors were sheathed in iron and whose upper floor doubled as the palace's front entrance. Stones on the east-side walls still show a reddish color from the heat.[5]

05
Historical record

The buildings went; the walls and cherry trees remain

After the 1873 order abolishing castles, the keep, palace and turrets were all demolished, and the site fell into ruin for a time. In 1900 it was reborn as Kakuzan Park, and local people planted cherry trees; in 1928 about 2,000 more were added, until the whole hill was covered in blossom. Today, after thinning to keep the trees healthy, there are about 1,000.[4][7]

06
Historical record

National Historic Site and a rebuilt turret

The site became a National Historic Site in 1963. To mark 400 years since construction began, Bitchu Yagura was rebuilt with the same kinds of materials and techniques as the original and opened to the public in spring 2005. In 2025, touch screens showing the old castle in 3D computer graphics were installed in Bitchu Yagura and other spots.[3][4][8]

People of this castle

Timeline

  1. Mori Tadamasa is given all of Mimasaka Province, worth 186,500 koku[4][5]

  2. Construction begins[2][5]

  3. The castle and town are completed[1][5]

  4. Fire destroys the main palace and the Omote-kurogane-mon gate[5]

  5. The castle is decommissioned; the keep and turrets are later demolished[1][4]

  6. Designated a National Historic Site[4]

  7. Bitchu Yagura is rebuilt in wood and opened[1][8]

Buildings and remains

The keep today

Keep lost

A five-story keep once stood here but was demolished in the early Meiji era. Only its stone base remains.

The site today

The site is Kakuzan Park (admission charged), a well-known cherry blossom spot. The only building is the rebuilt Bitchu Yagura; the stone walls and the keep's base survive well.

Main buildings

Lost

Keep (tenshu)

Completed around 1616 and demolished in the early Meiji era. The stone base remains.[5][10]

Rebuilt in wood

Bitchu Yagura (turret)

Rebuilt in wood for the castle's 400th anniversary and opened in 2005. Tatami rooms inside.[4][5][8]

Site only

Omote-naka-mon (gate)

Site of the gatehouse leading from the third to the second enclosure, about 32 m long and the castle's largest. Some foundation stones are visible.[5]

Site only

Omote-kurogane-mon (gate)

Gatehouse at the entrance to the main enclosure, lost in the 1809 fire.[5]

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)
Keep lostthe castle had a keep, but it no longer stands (its stone base may remain)Editorial article
Built by
Mori TadamasaJapan Castle Foundation
Built
1604Japan Castle Foundation
Main lords
Matsudaira clan, Mōri clan, Yamana clanJapan Castle Foundation
Abandoned
1873Wikipedia (ja)
Remains to see
Stone walls, Moats, Turrets or turret bases, Baileys / enclosures (kuruwa), Keep base (tenshudai), Fortified gateways (koguchi)Editorial article
Designation
National Historic Site (Tsuyama Castle ruins) (1963)Editorial article
Selection
Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 67Japan Castle Foundation

Visiting

Access

Open to visitors

The castle site is open as Kakuzan Park (admission charged). Bitchu Yagura's interior is open (free, but the park ticket is required).

Address

135 Yamashita, Tsuyama, Okayama[1][8]

Checked: 2026-10-03

Nearest stations and how to get there

JR Tsuyama StationJR Kishin Line, Tsuyama Line

about 10 min walk · Some climbing

About 10 minutes on foot from the station, according to the Tsuyama tourism association. Inside the park, stone steps lead up to the main enclosure.[8][10]

Checked: 2026-10-03

Hours and admission

Tsuyama Castle (Kakuzan Park)
Hours
April–August 8:40–19:00; March and September 8:40–18:00; January, February and October–December 8:40–17:00 (last entry 30 minutes before closing). During the Cherry Blossom Festival, 7:30–22:00.
Closed
December 29–31
Admission
Adults (high school age and up) 310 yen; groups of 30+ 240 yen; free for junior high students and younger. Free for holders of disability certificates and one companion.[8]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Bitchu Yagura
Hours
9:00–16:30 (until 18:30 during the Cherry Blossom Festival)
Closed
Same as Kakuzan Park
Admission
Free (Kakuzan Park ticket required)[8][1]
Checked: 2026-10-03

By car / parking

About 15 minutes from the Tsuyama or Innosho interchanges on the Chugoku Expressway. Tsuyama Tourist Center parking: 30 cars and 6 buses, free (paid during the Tsuyama Cherry Blossom Festival).[8]

Checked: 2026-10-03
Grounds opening hours
See Tsuyama Castle (Kakuzan Park) above; hours change by season.[8]Checked: 2026-10-03
Time neededEditors' estimate
Allow 1 to 1.5 hours to climb to the main enclosure and visit Bitchu Yagura.
Steps, slopes and footing
You climb stone steps up three tiers of walled terraces; it is a fair climb to the main enclosure.[2][5]
Wheelchairs and strollers
Not confirmedChecked: 2026-10-03
Toilets and rest
Not confirmed
English signs / audio guide
The 3D-graphics touch screens in Bitchu Yagura and elsewhere work in six languages, including English, French and Chinese.[3]
Seasons
About 1,000 cherry trees bloom in spring, and the park is one of Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots. The Tsuyama Cherry Blossom Festival runs April 1–15. Wisteria and Hirado azaleas bloom around May, red spider lilies in mid-September, and autumn leaves around November. The castle is lit up until 21:00 year-round (22:00 during the festival).[1][7][8]
Photography
Not confirmed
Works, closures and restrictions
As of the check date, no official notices of construction work or closures were found.[8]Checked: 2026-10-03

Around the castle

Garden

Shurakuen Garden

An early Edo-period garden of the Tsuyama lords, about 500 m north of the castle and a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty. A pond divided by four islands is circled by a walking path.[11]

Checked: 2026-10-03

Castle town

Joto historic townscape

East of the castle town along the old Izumo Kaido road, merchant houses from the late Edo and Meiji periods line the street. The road bends at right angles in three places to block the view of anyone advancing along it.[12]

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 anyone who loves stone walls and for cherry blossom season walks. The more you enjoy reading a castle's shape without a keep, the more you will get out of it.

What makes it interesting

Start with the layered stone walls. On the way up, the site of the Omote-naka-mon gate shows foundation stones from the castle's largest gate. In the main enclosure, step into the tatami rooms of Bitchu Yagura, then stand at the keep's base and picture the vanished five-story tower. On the east-side walls, look for stones reddened by the 1809 fire.

Before you go

Kakuzan Park charges admission and its closing time changes with the season (17:00 in winter). Bitchu Yagura closes at 16:30. Expect many stone steps.

Ways to enjoy it

Visit during the Tsuyama Cherry Blossom Festival (April 1–15) to see the blossoms lit up at night. Looking at the 3D reconstruction on the screen in Bitchu Yagura before you walk around makes it easier to picture what once stood on the walls.

Photos

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Open questions

Sources

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    3DCGで再現!現在の津山のまちによみがえる ありし日の「津山城」(2025年5月24日)津山市municipalChecked:
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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

Kakuzan Park0.2 km · Not yet confirmedMitsubashi Castle13.9 km · No keep recordedMimasaka Iwaya Castle15.6 km · No keep recordedBizen Chausuyama Castle17.3 km · Mock keepTakasu Castle18.5 km · Not yet confirmedTakasu Castle20.9 km · No keep recorded

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