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Kasugayama Castle

HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Kasugayama Castle

Enjoy the autumn view of Joetsu City from mountaintop castle ruins

Joetsu City

Kasugayama Castle Ruins in Niigata are known as the site of the former castle of one of the most famous warriors of the Warring States period, Uesugi Kenshin. It has been designated as a national historic site and is also counted as one of Japan's 100 famous castles.

Even now, the castle’s features such as the karabori empty moat carved by digging ridges in the soil, dorui embankments built up around the castle, and an oido great well, remain to be seen. Another major feature is the sougamae, a Japanese castle structure which surrounds the outer base for protection. At the foot of the mountain where the residences and empty moats were built, it extends some 1.2 kilometers around the castle.

Visit in autumn to enjoy the mountain colored with red, yellow and orange leaves, and views of the Sea of Japan, Kubikino Plains, and the surrounding mountain ranges, from the honmaru inner citadel 180 meters above sea level.

As you approach the castle ruins you will be greeted by a bronze statue of Uesugi Kenshin. It was produced in 1969, during the broadcasting of the NHK period drama Ten to Chi to (Heaven and Earth), a television series about the powerful military commander’s life.

How to get there

Access by Kubiki Bus: 20 minutes walk from Nakayashiki bus stop, or 15 minutes from Kasuga Sanso Mae bus stop to the bronze statue of daimyo Uesugi Kenshin.