Uwajima Castle

Uwajima Castle (宇和島城, Uwajima-jō) is a hirayama-jiro (Japanese castle on a hill on a plain) in Uwajima, Ehime, Japan. An alternate name for this castle is Tsurushima-jō. The castle is well known as one of twelve Japanese castles to still have an original donjon built in the Edo period.[1]

Uwajima Castle 宇和島城
Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture, Japan
The original wooden tenshu (keep) of Uwajima Castle
Type	Hirayamajiro (hilltop castle)
Height	Three stories
Site information
Condition	The tenshu and some ruins remain.
Site history
Built	1596–1601
Built by	Tōdō Takatora
In use	1601 to 1889
Materials	Earth, stone, and wood
Demolished	Most of the castle during the Meiji Restoration, though the tenshu survived.
Japanese name
Kanji	宇和島城
Hiragana	うわじまじょう
Transcriptions Romanization Uwajima-jō

History

The castle was constructed in 1596 by a daimyō named Tōdō Takatora after being given a small fiefdom by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1595.[2] The castle experienced major repairs and expansion in 1671. The Ōte Gate was burnt to the ground by American bombing during World War II.[3]

Cultural Property

Uwajima castle is an Important Cultural Property selected by the Japanese government:[4]

• Tenshukaku (Donjon Tower)

Access

• Uwajima Station of Yosan Line[1]

References

1. "Uwajima". Gaijinpot. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
2. "Uwajima Castle". Jcastle.info. Archived from the original on 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
3. "Uwajima Castle". Japanese Castle Explorer. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
4. "宇和島城天守" (in Japanese). The Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 2019-03-25.

Literature

• Mitchelhill, Jennifer (2013). Castles of the Samurai:Power & Beauty. USA: Kodansha. ISBN 978-1568365121.
• Schmorleitz, Morton S. (1974). Castles in Japan. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Co. ISBN 0-8048-1102-4.
• Motoo, Hinago (1986). Japanese Castles. Tokyo: Kodansha. pp. 200 pages. ISBN 0-87011-766-1.