Kanazawa Castle

Kanazawa Castle

Kanazawa Castle is a hirayama-style castle located in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. For about 300 years, from the Sengoku period to the Edo period, it served as the residence of the Maeda clan, lords of the Kaga Domain. Currently, the castle ruins have been turned into Kanazawa Castle Park, one of the most famous sightseeing spots in Kanazawa, attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists every year.

A traditional hirayama-style castle, Kanazawa Castle's construction officially began in 1583 when Maeda Toshiie entered the castle. At its peak, it had a honmaru (main bailey), ninomaru (second bailey), and sannomaru (third bailey), surrounded by an outer defensive structure, forming a multi-turret layout. However, several natural disasters nearly burned down most of the castle, after which the ninomaru became the central area. The ninomaru was also destroyed by fire in 1881. What remains today includes the Ishikawa Gate, rebuilt in 1788, and the reconstructed Hishi Yagura (diamond turret), Gojikken Nagaya (fifty-meter-long storehouse), and Hashizume-mon Tsuzuki Yagura (Hashizume Gate auxiliary turret) in 2001, recreating the scenery of that time.

Kanazawa Castle Ruins Park, built around the former site of the castle, is adjacent to Kenrokuen Garden—one of Japan’s Three Great Gardens—and together they form the main tourist area of Kanazawa. The park covers a vast area and is planted with many flowers and trees, offering beautiful scenery throughout the four seasons.

Kanazawa Castle

Must-visit reason: One of the most important sightseeing spots in Kanazawa

Continent where the attraction is located: Asia

Country/region where the attraction is located: Japan

Province/state where the attraction is located: Ishikawa Prefecture

City where the attraction is located: Kanazawa