Japan Castle Atlas日本のお城アトラス
My castles日本語
Onnemoto Chashi seen from Onnemoto fishing harbor (2009). The earth mounded on the headland rises in rounded tiers, like stacked New Year rice cakes.

Themes

Ainu chashi

Chashi were built by the Ainu people. They are thought to have served not only as forts but as places for ritual and negotiation — they are not the same as samurai castles.

1467jpCC BY-SA 3.0Wikimedia Commons

10 selected castles

More themes

Castles whose original keeps still standWhy this shape? Reading the defencesNo keep? Still worth the tripCastles and the people who lived thereA journey through stone wallsCastles you can walk to from a stationYour first Japanese castlesCastles kept alive by their communitiesWalking the mountain castlesThe gusuku of RyukyuJapan's ancient fortressesJin'ya — headquarters without a castleCastle towns and local food