Marugame Castle

Marugame Castle, in the city of Marugame west of Takamatsu, is a rare and precious survivor: it is one of only twelve castles in all of Japan to retain its original wooden keep, built in the feudal era and never destroyed or reconstructed in concrete. While its small three-storey keep is among the more modest in size, the castle as a whole is extraordinary, celebrated above all for its magnificent stone walls, which are counted among the tallest and finest in the country. Rising in tiered layers up the hill of Kameyama on which the castle sits, the walls climb roughly 60 meters in total from base to summit, a breathtaking feat of Edo-period engineering that dwarfs the keep they support.

The castle dates in its current form to the 17th century, when the ruling lords rebuilt and expanded it, and it served as the seat of the Marugame domain. Its elegant curved stone ramparts, called ogi-no-kobai or 'fan slope' for their graceful concave profile, are the work of master stonemasons and are studied and admired as some of the best examples of Japanese castle stonework. Climbing the winding paths and steps up through these successive walls, past gates and turrets, is the heart of the experience, and the effort is repaid at the top with sweeping views over the city, the Sanuki Plain, the Seto Inland Sea, and the great Seto Ohashi bridge in the distance.

The surviving keep, though compact, is genuine and atmospheric, its wooden interior of steep stairs and exposed beams offering a real sense of how such fortifications were built and used. Because so few original keeps remain, entering one is a special experience, and Marugame's is complemented by a preserved main gate, the Ote-ichi-no-mon, at the base, through which visitors pass to begin the ascent. Interpretive materials explain the castle's history and construction.

The castle grounds double as a much-loved public park and are especially beautiful in spring, when hundreds of cherry trees bloom around the stone walls and the moat, drawing hanami crowds, and again in autumn when the maples color. The contrast of soft blossoms against the massive grey stonework makes for memorable photographs. Evening illuminations are held in season.

Marugame is easy to reach on the JR Yosan Line from Takamatsu, and the castle is a walk of about 10 to 15 minutes from Marugame Station, its hilltop keep visible as you approach. Entry to the keep is inexpensive and the grounds are free to wander. The city is also known for producing the majority of Japan's uchiwa round paper fans, a craft that can be explored at a nearby museum, adding another dimension to a visit.

For castle enthusiasts, Marugame is a must, being one of the select dozen originals, and for any traveler its towering stone walls and Inland Sea panoramas make it a rewarding and relatively uncrowded stop in Kagawa, easily combined with the shrine town of Kotohira nearby.