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Aichi · Toyohashi

Yoshida Castle

吉田城

Toyohashi, Aichi

CastleFlatland castle (hirajiro)Next 100 Fine Castles No. 143

What makes this castle distinctive

On the bank of the Toyo River, a white turret built in 1954 sits on top of rough stone walls laid in Ikeda Terumasa's day.

Why?

The northwest corner of Yoshida Castle's main enclosure once held Kurogane Yagura, a turret that served as the castle's keep. Today's turret is a replica built for a 1954 exhibition and does not copy the original. The stone base beneath it, however, is attributed to Ikeda Terumasa at the end of the 16th century and is the oldest surviving stone wall in the castle.^[1][4]

Three things not to miss

Stone walls of the main enclosure. On the right, the base of Kurogane Yagura is built of rough natural stones (nozura-zumi) from Ikeda Terumasa's time; on the left, the more shaped stones are thought to be leftover stones from Nagoya Castle reused in the early Edo period.

Ikeda Terumasa's stone wall under Kurogane Yagura

Where: The northwest corner of the main enclosure (honmaru), directly beneath Kurogane Yagura on its north and west sides.
What to look at: The rough, barely shaped natural stones (nozura-zumi) and how they differ from the more neatly cut stones in the wall next to them.
Why it's interesting: The north and west walls under the turret are attributed to Ikeda Terumasa and survived two major earthquakes in the Edo period, making them the oldest stone walls in the castle. Excavations showed they are about 12.7 m high, and the city's Board of Education describes them as among the largest walls of their era in the Tokai region.^[4][2]
Can you see it?: Visible from outsideVisible from outside at any time; the height is easiest to appreciate from the river side.

Marks carved into the stones

Where: Around the south entrance of the main enclosure, and near the stairs that lead down from beside Kurogane Yagura toward the Toyo River.
What to look at: Circles, triangles, squares and other symbols cut into the faces of the granite blocks.
Why it's interesting: These marks were carved at some stage between quarrying, transporting and laying the stones, and about 60 have been found, mostly around the main enclosure. The city museum explains that this granite was left over from the building of Nagoya Castle and reused here.^[2][4]
Can you see it?: Partly visibleThe walls are open to view, but some marks are faint and hard to spot. The marks in the official pamphlet's photos were highlighted with chalk.

A main enclosure with the river at its back

Where: The north side of the main enclosure. Go down beside Kurogane Yagura to the riverside terrace, or view it from across the Toyo River.
What to look at: The Toyo River flowing right behind the main enclosure, the tall stone walls facing it, and the narrow terrace (koshi-guruwa) along the water.
Why it's interesting: Yoshida is a castle protected from behind: the Toyo and Asakura rivers guard its back, while the second and third enclosures spread out in front and to the side. The river served as a natural moat, but it also left the main enclosure open to direct attack, so, the city museum explains, a terrace was added behind it and the walls were built higher. Even today the river north of the castle is over 8 m deep at high tide.^[2][4]
Can you see it?: Visible from outsideVisible from outside at any time.

At a glance for visitors

Nearest station: 5 min walk from Shiyakusho-mae stop, Toyotetsu City Line (tram)
Climb: Not confirmed
Time neededEditors' estimate: About an hour to see the main enclosure, Kurogane Yagura and the riverside walls.
Admission: Free
Hours: 10:00–15:00 (in 2026, changed to 8:00–13:00 from July 1 to September 30 only)
Access: Open to visitors
The castle grounds (Toyohashi Park) are free to walk around, and the inside of Kurogane Yagura is open free of charge. The Next 100 Castles stamp is available in two places: inside Kurogane Yagura, and at the Tezutsu Fireworks Experience Park on the 13th floor of Toyohashi City Hall's East Building (8:00–21:30).

Checked: 2026-10-03

View on map Open in Google Maps Yoshida Castle (Toyohashi City, Japanese)About Yoshida Castle (Toyohashi City Museum of Art and History, Japanese)Toyohashi Park and Yoshida Castle (English)

The story of this castle

Historical record

A rise where two rivers meet

Yoshida Castle began as Imahashi Castle, built by Makino Kohaku. The usual date is 1505, though some accounts say around 1496. It stood on high ground overlooking the Toyohashi plain, near where the Toyo and Asakura rivers meet. The Makino family was then competing with the Toda family of Tahara for control of eastern Mikawa province, and both were under the influence of the powerful Imagawa clan of Suruga. Around 1522 the place, and the castle, are said to have been renamed from Imahashi to Yoshida.^[2][4]

Historical record

Fought over, then held by Ieyasu's right-hand man

In the Sengoku (Warring States) period the castle changed hands again and again among the Makino, Toda, Imagawa and Matsudaira (later Tokugawa) clans. In 1565 Matsudaira (Tokugawa) Ieyasu drove out the Imagawa commander and gave the castle to his senior retainer Sakai Tadatsugu. Excavations show that Tadatsugu remodeled the castle and dug new moats, including a V-shaped yagen-bori moat.^[4][2]

Scholarly interpretation

Ikeda Terumasa turns it into a major castle

When Ieyasu was moved to the Kanto region in 1590, Ikeda Terumasa, a retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, took over with a domain worth 152,000 koku of rice. He enlarged the castle grounds, laid out the town, built stone walls and put up many tile-roofed buildings on stone foundations. The basic shape of the castle you see today is thought to date from his time. After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 he moved to Himeji, where he rebuilt what is now the World Heritage castle.^[4][2][1]

Historical record

A "promotion castle" on the Tokaido

In the Edo period Yoshida guarded an important point on the Tokaido highway between Edo and Kyoto, so it was entrusted to fudai daimyo, lords from families with long service to the Tokugawa. Twenty-two lords from nine families held it in turn, and so many went on to senior posts in the shogunate that it was nicknamed the "promotion castle." Matsudaira Nobuakira of the Okochi-Matsudaira family, for example, led the Kansei Reforms as chief senior councilor. According to the city museum, money was always short, and the castle was never fully completed before the Meiji era.^[1][2][4]

Historical record

Shaken down by earthquakes; walls and moats remain

A great earthquake in 1707 brought down the palaces in the main and second enclosures, and another in 1854 badly damaged many turrets. Kurogane Yagura was half destroyed then and was taken down. Photographs from the early Meiji era still show the Nyudo and Kawate turrets on the river side, but no Edo-period buildings survive today. The stone walls, earthen ramparts and moats from the main enclosure out to the third enclosure, however, remain in good shape.^[4][1]

Historical record

An exhibition turret and a city historic site

The castle grounds became Toyohashi Park, and in 1954 Kurogane Yagura was built in the northwest corner of the main enclosure as a pavilion for the Toyohashi Industry and Culture Exposition. The city calls it a "mock reconstruction": it does not accurately reproduce the original. Inside is a free exhibition room on Yoshida Castle. About 73,000 square meters around the main, second and third enclosures are designated a Toyohashi City Historic Site, and in 2017 the castle was named one of the Next 100 Fine Castles of Japan.^[1][4][7]

People of this castle

Lord who rebuilt the castle and laid the basis of its present layout

Ikeda Terumasa

池田輝政

1565–1613

The daimyo who became lord of Himeji after the Battle of Sekigahara. He began a complete rebuilding of the castle in 1601 and by 1609 had finished the linked keep complex centered on the five-tier main keep. Today's keeps date from his time.

Tokugawa Ieyasu's senior retainer, put in charge of the castle

Sakai Tadatsugu

酒井忠次

1527–1596

A senior retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu. When Ieyasu took Yoshida Castle in 1565, he put Tadatsugu in charge of it and of the warriors of eastern Mikawa.

Lord

Matsudaira clan

松平氏

Lord

Toda clan

戸田氏

Lord

Ikeda clan

池田氏

Lord

Sakai clan

酒井氏

Lord

Ogasawara clan

小笠原氏

Built

Makino Kohaku

牧野古白

?–1506

Lord

Fukōzu-Matsudaira clan

深溝松平氏

Timeline

1505
Some accounts say around 1496
Makino Kohaku builds Imahashi Castle^[2][4]
1565
Matsudaira (Tokugawa) Ieyasu takes the castle and makes Sakai Tadatsugu its lord^[4]
1590
Ikeda Terumasa arrives with 152,000 koku and rebuilds the castle^[2][4]
1707
A great earthquake topples the palaces in the main and second enclosures^[4]
1854
An earthquake badly damages the turrets; Kurogane Yagura is taken down^[4]
1954
Kurogane Yagura is rebuilt as a mock turret for an exposition^[1][4]
2017
Named one of the Next 100 Fine Castles of Japan^[7]

Buildings and remains

The keep today

Mock keep

There was no building officially called a keep; Kurogane Yagura in the northwest corner served as one, and some old maps even label it a keep. It was half destroyed in the 1854 earthquake and taken down. The present building is a mock turret built in 1954.

The site today

The main enclosure and parts of the second and third enclosures are now Toyohashi Park, which also holds the Toyohashi City Museum of Art and History and sports facilities. Toyohashi City Hall stands in the former third enclosure, and the outer samurai quarter and outermost moat have become city streets.

Main buildings

Modern reconstruction

Kurogane Yagura (turret)

Mock turret built in 1954 as an exposition pavilion (the city calls it a "mock reconstruction"). Inside is a free exhibition room.^[1][5]

Lost

Nyudo Yagura, Kawate Yagura and other Edo-period turrets

Seen in early Meiji photographs but no longer standing. The main enclosure had a turret at each of its four corners.^[4]

Lost

Honmaru Palace

Lodging for the shogun on trips to Kyoto. Completed in 1622 and destroyed in the 1707 earthquake.^[4]

Key facts

Type: Castle
Setting: Flatland castle (hirajiro)built on flat ground, defended by moatsEditorial article
Period: Medieval (c.1185–1570s), Early modern (1570s–1871)Editorial article
Keep (tenshu): Mock keepa keep-shaped building where no keep existed, or where its appearance is unknownEditorial article
Built by: Makino KohakuJapan Castle Foundation
Built: 1505Japan Castle Foundation
Main lords: Matsudaira clan, Toda clan, Ikeda clan, Sakai clan, Ogasawara clan, Fukōzu-Matsudaira clanJapan Castle Foundation
Abandoned: 1871Wikipedia (ja)
Remains to see: Stone walls, Earthen ramparts, Moats, Turrets or turret bases, Baileys / enclosures (kuruwa), Fortified gateways (koguchi)Editorial article
Designation: Toyohashi City Historic Site (Yoshida Castle ruins) (2021)Editorial article
Selection: Next 100 Fine Castles No. 143Japan Castle Foundation

Visiting

Access

Open to visitors

The castle grounds (Toyohashi Park) are free to walk around, and the inside of Kurogane Yagura is open free of charge. The Next 100 Castles stamp is available in two places: inside Kurogane Yagura, and at the Tezutsu Fireworks Experience Park on the 13th floor of Toyohashi City Hall's East Building (8:00–21:30).

Address

3 Imahashi-cho, Toyohashi, Aichi (inside Toyohashi Park)^[1][5]

Checked: 2026-10-03

Nearest stations and how to get there

Shiyakusho-mae stop, Toyotetsu City Line (tram)Toyohashi Railway City Line (Azumada Main Line), about 10 minutes from the JR/Meitetsu Toyohashi Station stop

about 5 min walk · Not confirmed

Walk north from the stop into Toyohashi Park; Kurogane Yagura is at the park's north end, near the river.^[1][4][5]

Checked: 2026-10-03

Toyohashi Koen-mae stop, Toyotetsu City Line (tram)Toyohashi Railway City Line (Azumada Main Line)

about 3 min walk · Not confirmed

The city museum gives the walk to the site as 3 minutes.^[2]

Checked: 2026-10-03

Hours and admission

Kurogane Yagura (interior)

Hours: 10:00–15:00 (in 2026, changed to 8:00–13:00 from July 1 to September 30 only)
Closed: Mondays (open if Monday is a national holiday) and the New Year holidays
Admission: Free^[1][5]

Checked: 2026-10-03

By car / parking

Parking available (number of spaces and fees not confirmed).^[5]

Checked: 2026-10-03

Grounds opening hours

The exterior can be viewed at any time (no official park hours confirmed).^[5]Checked: 2026-10-03

Time neededEditors' estimate

About an hour to see the main enclosure, Kurogane Yagura and the riverside walls.

Steps, slopes and footing

The park is mostly level, but the way down to the river side beside Kurogane Yagura is by stairs, and there are stairs inside the turret.^[2]

Wheelchairs and strollers

Not confirmedChecked: 2026-10-03

Toilets and rest

Not confirmed

English signs / audio guide

The Toyohashi tourism association has an English page on the park and castle. English signage on site is not confirmed.^[6]

Seasons

Not confirmed

Photography

Not confirmed

Works, closures and restrictions

Because of summer heat, Kurogane Yagura opened 8:00–13:00 from July 1 to September 30, 2026. Normal hours (10:00–15:00) resumed on October 1.^[5]Checked: 2026-10-03

Around the castle

Museum

Toyohashi City Museum of Art and History

City museum in the same Toyohashi Park. It holds finds from the castle excavations and records of the Yoshida domain, and publishes the castle's guide pages and pamphlet.^[2][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

Good for people who like comparing stone-wall styles, anyone interested in how castles used rivers, and travelers exploring the old Tokaido post towns. It is a short tram ride from the station and free to enter, so it is easy to drop in.

What makes it interesting

The star is not the turret itself but the stone walls beneath it. Compare the rough natural stones from Ikeda Terumasa's time with the Edo-period walls said to reuse leftover stone from Nagoya Castle, and look for the carved marks. From the river side, the castle's back-to-the-river design becomes clear.

Before you go

Today's Kurogane Yagura is a mock turret built for a 1954 exposition and is not a copy of the original; no Edo-period buildings survive. The turret is closed on Mondays and opens only 10:00–15:00, so plan accordingly if you want to go inside.

Ways to enjoy it

Utagawa Hiroshige's print of Yoshida in his Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido shows workers on scaffolding repairing a castle turret above the bridge over the Toyo River. Look at it before your visit to see why the castle-and-bridge view was one of the famous sights of the Tokaido. Castle seal cards (goshuin-style souvenirs) are sold at places including the first floor of the City Hall East Building.

Photos

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Open questions

Sources differ on when Imahashi Castle was built: 1505 (city museum, Japan Castle Foundation) or around 1496 (Toyohashi City).
The city museum's web page gives 1564 for Ieyasu's capture of the castle, while the Board of Education pamphlet gives 1565 (the attack began the year before, and Sakai Tadatsugu became lord in 1565).
The date of designation as a city historic site is given as March 30, 2021 by the city's tourism page and the Board of Education pamphlet, but as March 30, 2022 by the city museum's pages.
The city museum says the marked granite is leftover stone from Nagoya Castle, but the Board of Education pamphlet lists both that and stone quarried specifically for Yoshida as possibilities.
Barrier-free access to the turret, toilet locations, parking capacity and fees, and English signage on site could not be confirmed.

Sources

1
吉田城豊橋市観光プロモーション課municipalChecked: 2026-10-03
2
吉田城について豊橋市美術博物館officialChecked: 2026-10-03
3
吉田城址豊橋市美術博物館officialChecked: 2026-10-03
4
東海の名城吉田城(パンフレット、令和4年再訂)豊橋市教育委員会・豊橋市文化財センターmunicipalChecked: 2026-10-03
5
吉田城(観光スポット)豊橋観光コンベンション協会tourismChecked: 2026-10-03
6
Toyohashi Park and Yoshida CastleToyohashi Visitors & Convention AssociationtourismChecked: 2026-10-03
7
続日本100名城一覧公益財団法人日本城郭協会jokakuChecked: 2026-10-03
8
吉田城 (三河国)(補助資料)Wikipedia日本語版otherChecked: 2026-10-03
9
List of Japan's 100 Fine Castles and the Next 100公益財団法人日本城郭協会jokakuChecked: 2026-10-03
10
Wikipedia「吉田城 (三河国)」Wikipedia日本語版wikipediaChecked: 2026-10-03
11
Wikidata Q849190WikidatawikidataChecked: 2026-10-03