CastleHilltop castle (hirayamajiro)Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 80
What makes this castle distinctive
The park next to Dogo Onsen is the castle from which the Kono clan ruled Iyo for some 250 years. It had no stone walls and no keep, only earthen ramparts and a double ring of moats.
Why?
Yuzuki is a medieval castle from before the age of stone walls and tall keeps. It began as a hilltop fort on the central hill, and in the early 16th century an outer moat was added, turning it into a hill-and-plain castle (hirayamajiro) with two rings of moats and two rings of earthen ramparts (dorui). That layout still shapes the park today.[1][2]
The outer moat around the edge of the park, and the inner moat that circles the central hill.
What to look at
The water-filled moats, the grassy ramparts rising inside them, and the flat ground between the outer and inner moats.
Why it's interesting
The whole park, an almost circular area about 350 m across, is the castle site, and its moats, ramparts and layout survive much as they were. Excavations showed that the western part of the ground between the two moats was where retainers lived, and the eastern part, with gardens, was for high-ranking samurai.[1][2][3]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideThe park is open 24 hours and free to enter.
In the southern part of the park, beside the outer rampart.
What to look at
The stripes in the cut face of the rampart, showing how the soil was laid down in layer after layer.
Why it's interesting
From outside, a rampart looks like a simple mound of earth, but the cross-section reveals how the soil was piled and packed. The official site says displays like this, showing the inside of an earthen rampart and how it was built, are rare anywhere in Japan.[1][3]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideExhibition facilities are open 9:00–17:00 and free. Closed Mondays (or the next weekday if Monday is a holiday).
Around the high-ranking samurai quarter in the south of the park.
What to look at
The houses built on the excavated foundations, and the building outlines marked on the lawn.
Why it's interesting
After the zoo that once stood here closed, excavations uncovered house foundations. One house (Samurai House 1) was rebuilt on them using period building methods, with its floor plan worked out from the findings, and its interior recreates daily life and furnishings. A second house (Samurai House 2) was rebuilt on the outside and serves as an exhibition room.[1][2][3]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideFree. Same opening hours and closing days as the Yuzuki Castle Museum.
At a glance for visitors
Nearest station
1 min walk from Dogo Koen tram stop (Iyotetsu city tram)
Climb
No climb
Time neededEditors' estimate
About an hour to walk around the moats and ramparts and see the exhibition buildings.
Admission
Free
Hours
9:00–17:00
Access
Open to visitors
The park is open 24 hours and free. The museum, samurai houses and Earthwork Exhibition Room are also free. The Japan 100 Castles stamp is inside the Yuzuki Castle Museum (outside its entrance on closing days).
The Kono clan came from Kono-go, in today's Hojo district of Matsuyama. In the Genpei War of the 1180s, Kono Michinobu fought for the Minamoto side and won the clan authority over Iyo Province under the Kamakura shogunate. Around 1335, under Kono Michimori, the clan is said to have moved its base from Kono-go to Yuzuki.[1]
02
Historical record
The center of medieval Iyo
For about 250 years, from the early 14th century to the end of the 16th, Yuzuki was the Kono clan's residence. The clan allied itself with the Ashikaga shoguns and formed alliances and marriage ties with neighboring warlords such as the Ouchi, Otomo and Mori, securing its position as governor (shugo) of Iyo. Until the end of the Middle Ages, Yuzuki was the political, military and cultural center of the province.[1]
03
Scholarly interpretation
An outer moat creates a double-ringed castle
Around 1535, Kono Michinao (known by his title Danjo Shohitsu) built the outer moat. This is thought to have turned Yuzuki from a hilltop fort into a castle on and around the hill, ringed by two moats and two ramparts. Edo-period maps suggest the east side was the main front (ote) and the west side the rear (karamete).[1]
04
Historical record
Surrender to Hideyoshi's invasion
The clan's power gradually declined. In 1585, during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion of Shikoku on his way to unifying Japan, the last head of the family, Kono Michinao (also called Ushifukumaru), handed the castle over to Kobayakawa Takakage, ending some 400 years of Kono rule in Iyo. The castle was soon abandoned, and in the Edo period it was looked after by the Matsuyama domain.[1][2][6]
05
Historical record
Botanical garden, zoo, then historic park
From the Meiji era onward the site served as a prefectural park and botanical garden, and in the Showa era it also housed a zoo. After the zoo closed in 1987, excavations began in 1988 and uncovered the remains of samurai houses, earthen walls, roads, drains and pottery. Between 1998 and 2001 the park was redeveloped with reconstructed samurai houses and walls. It reopened as a historic park in April 2002 and was designated a National Historic Site the same year.[1][2]
Reopens as a historic park and is designated a National Historic Site[1][2]
Buildings and remains
The keep today
No keep was built
A medieval castle that never had stone walls or a keep.
The site today
Now Dogo Park, a prefectural park of about 8.5 ha. It is roughly circular, about 350 m across, with a hill about 30 m high in the middle. The outer and inner moats and ramparts survive well, and the south of the park has reconstructed samurai houses, the Earthwork Exhibition Room and the Yuzuki Castle Museum. The Shiki Memorial Museum stands in one corner of the park.
Main buildings
Rebuilt in wood
Samurai House 1
Rebuilt with period methods, with the floor plan worked out from excavation results. Interior recreates daily life.[1][3]
Exterior restored
Samurai House 2
Rebuilt on the outside; inside is an exhibition on medieval tools and craftsmen.[1][3]
National Historic Site (Yuzuki Castle site) (2002)Editorial article
Selection
Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 80Japan Castle Foundation
Visiting
Access
Open to visitors
The park is open 24 hours and free. The museum, samurai houses and Earthwork Exhibition Room are also free. The Japan 100 Castles stamp is inside the Yuzuki Castle Museum (outside its entrance on closing days).
Park parking: 23 spaces at the west entrance and 11 at the north entrance, 100 yen per 30 minutes (24 hours). Tour buses by reservation, 160 yen per 30 minutes (8:30–17:30 on museum opening days). About 20 minutes from Matsuyama IC on the Matsuyama Expressway.[3]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Grounds opening hours
Open 24 hours; free admission[3]Checked: 2026-10-03
Time neededEditors' estimate
About an hour to walk around the moats and ramparts and see the exhibition buildings.
Steps, slopes and footing
The outer paths are mostly flat. The central hill (about 30 m high) has a lookout, reached by slopes or steps.[2]
Wheelchairs and strollers
Not confirmedChecked: 2026-10-03
Toilets and rest
Not confirmed
English signs / audio guide
The official website offers an English pamphlet (PDF). English signage on site was not confirmed.[5]
Seasons
The park is a well-known cherry blossom spot, and water lilies and other plants bloom in the moats in early summer.[2][5]
Photography
Not confirmed
Works, closures and restrictions
Nothing reported (no closures listed on the official site as of October 3, 2026).[5]Checked: 2026-10-03
About 2 km west of Yuzuki on Castle Hill, Matsuyama Castle keeps its original Edo-period keep. Easy to reach by city tram.[2][8]
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 curious about earthen castles from before the age of stone walls and keeps, or for a short history walk on a trip to Dogo Onsen. It is right by the tram stop and mostly flat.
What makes it interesting
Start by walking along the outer moat to get a feel for the double ring of moats and ramparts. Then look inside a rampart at the Earthwork Exhibition Room and visit the samurai houses to picture daily life in a medieval castle.
Before you go
There is no keep or stone wall. The exhibition buildings close on Mondays (or the next weekday after a holiday) and over New Year. On closing days the 100 Castles stamp is outside the museum entrance.
Ways to enjoy it
From the lookout on the central hill, look west toward Matsuyama Castle. You can trace how the center of power in Iyo shifted from medieval Yuzuki to Edo-period Matsuyama.
Photos
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Open questions
The founding date and founder are uncertain: the Japan Castle Foundation lists 'Nanbokucho period (mid-14th century), Kono Michimori?', and the official site says the clan moved here under Michimori around 1335.
The change from hilltop fort to hill-and-plain castle, and the east-front/west-rear layout, are inferred from excavations and Edo-period maps.
How the castle fell out of use after 1585 (abandoned after Fukushima Masanori briefly held it) is based on Wikipedia.
Accessibility, toilet locations, photo rules and English signage on site could not be confirmed.
Jyo81 at Japanese WikipediaCC BY-SA 3.0Wikimedia Commons
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