History & Culture | Maruoka Castle Area

A wooden castle that has survived for over 400 years.

Maruoka Castle is a hilltop castle with the oldest surviving architectural style among existing castle keeps. True to its nickname “Kasumigajo” (Castle in the Mist), its appearance floating amid the full-bloom cherry blossoms in spring is breathtakingly beautiful and dreamlike.

In 1576 (Tenshō 4) during the Sengoku period, Maruoka Castle was built by Katsutoyo, the nephew of Shibata Katsuie, under the orders of Oda Nobunaga, as a defense against the Ikko-ikki uprisings.

The park is home to 400 Somei Yoshino cherry trees and is recognized as one of the “Top 100 Cherry Blossom Viewing Sites in Japan.” In April, the Maruoka Castle Cherry Blossom Festival is held at the foot of the castle.

Maruoka is said to have developed as a town in 1576 (Tenshō 4), when Katsutoyo, the nephew of Shibata Katsuie, built Maruoka Castle and organized the surrounding castle town. The castle, constructed by Katsutoyo, is now designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Its exterior appears to be two stories, while the interior has three levels in a traditional watchtower-style keep. The stone walls are built using an old method called Nozura-zumi (unshaped natural stone stacking), which, despite its rough appearance with many gaps, provides excellent drainage and is said to prevent collapse even during heavy rain.

After Shibata Katsutoyo, the castle lords included Yasui Iekiyo, Aoyama Munekatsu, and Aoyama Tadayuki. In 1613 (Keichō 18), Honda Narishige became the lord, but the Honda family was later dispossessed after four generations. In 1695 (Genroku 8), Arima Kiyozumi entered the castle from Itoigawa in Echigo Province with a domain of 50,000 koku. The Arima family ruled for eight generations until the end of the Edo period.