Japanese Castles

Welcome

... to the Japanese Castle Explorer website, a website made for people with an interest in Japanese castles, Japan or Japanese history. There is information on over 110 castles from all over Japan along with over 500 photos & interactive maps with which to track down these castles for yourself.

Castles can be found with the Castle list or with the Interactive map

About Japanese Castles

What springs to mind when you think of a Japanese castle? Possibly, you invisage heavily-moated compounds with tall & beautifully curved stone walls atop which would sit, what could be described as, a very pointy, wedding-cake-looking wooden tower. The reality is, there existed a a great variety of castles. Some were mighty, others humble, some were built for show, though even so, highly practical.

Japanese Castles and this website

This website deals mainly with castles that were built in the late 1500's - early 1600's as it is from this period where castle construction was at its peak. Even if you have seen just a handful of images of Japanese castles, there is a high possibility that they originated from this period.

Castles are grouped in two ways, by condition & by region, both of which should prove useful for people wishing to visit them. So, if you are searching for Japan's original castles or perhaps you'll visit the island of Kyushu on your next trip, Japan's castles should be easy to find.