Japan Castle Atlas

Tokugawa Nariaki

徳川斉昭

The ninth lord of the Mito domain. As part of his domain reforms he founded Kodokan, a domain school, in the castle's third enclosure. He was the father of the last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu.

Years: 1800–1860

Historical record

Story

Kodokan opened provisionally in 1841 and formally in 1857. Its grounds covered about 10.5 hectares, the largest of any domain school in Japan, and his son Yoshinobu studied there as a child.

Connected castles

The Ote-mon main gate at the end of the Ote Bridge (August 2024). The gate was rebuilt in wood in 2020.

In-depth article

Mito, Ibaraki

Mito Castle

水戸城

The castle of the Mito Tokugawa, one of the shogun's three senior branch families, defended not by stone walls but by deep moats and earthen ramparts.

Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 16CastleHilltop

Souka KinmeiCC0Wikimedia Commons

ninth lord; founded KodokanRecord source: article

Basic information

Hitachi, Ibaraki

Sukegawa Castle

助川海防城

CastleMountain

papakuroCC BY 3.0Wikimedia Commons

BuiltRecord source: wikipedia

Sources

1
弘道館について(弘道館公式)Checked: 2026-10-03
2
弘道館公式サイトChecked: 2026-10-03
3
徳川斉昭(補助資料・Wikipedia日本語版)Checked: 2026-10-03