Wakayama Castle
和歌山城
Castle of the Kishu Tokugawa, who gave Japan two shoguns: a white keep on a city-centre hill, a garden famed for autumn leaves and a rare sloping corridor bridge.
Built by Hideyoshi, ruled by the Kishu Tokugawa
Wakayama Castle was built in 1585 on the orders of Toyotomi Hideyoshi on Mount Torafusu, a hill in the centre of Wakayama city. The construction was carried out by Hideyoshi's younger brother, Toyotomi Hidenaga. After the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), the Asano family became lords of the castle.
In 1619 Tokugawa Yorinobu, the tenth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, took over with a domain of 555,000 koku, founding the Kishu Tokugawa family. The Kishu Tokugawa were one of the gosanke, the three branch families from which a shogun could be chosen, and they produced the 8th shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, and the 14th, Tokugawa Iemochi.
A keep burned and rebuilt again and again
The keep burned down after a lightning strike in 1846 and was rebuilt in 1850. It was designated a National Treasure in 1935 but was destroyed in the Wakayama air raid of July 1945. Today's keep was rebuilt in reinforced concrete in 1958.
From the white, three-tiered keep you can look out over Wakayama's streets, the surrounding mountains and the Kii Channel (the sea between the Kii Peninsula and Shikoku). The grounds also have a history museum with exhibits such as a VR recreation of Edo-period Wakayama Castle.
Momijidani Garden and the Ohashi Roka corridor bridge
Momijidani Garden in the Nishinomaru (western enclosure) preserves the look of an early Edo-period garden and is a national Place of Scenic Beauty. As its name, "Maple Valley", suggests, it is especially beautiful with autumn leaves.
Near the garden is the Ohashi Roka, a roofed bridge linking the Nishinomaru and Ninomaru (second enclosure). It is built on a slope, a design rare anywhere in Japan, and was restored in 2006.
Other highlights are the stone walls, built in different styles in different eras, and the Okaguchi Gate, a national Important Cultural Property. Within the castle grounds there is also a free zoo that has been running since the Taisho era.
Getting there
The castle is about 10 minutes' walk from Wakayamashi Station on the Nankai line. From JR Wakayama Station, take a bus for about 10 minutes to Wakayama-jo-mae, then walk about 10 minutes. Allow about 70 minutes by train and bus from Namba in Osaka, or about 60 minutes from Kansai International Airport. Check the official website for opening hours and admission.
Tips
- The keep sometimes closes temporarily (a temporary closure on 9 December 2026 has been announced on the official website). Check the notices on the official website before you go.
- Autumn is the best time for Momijidani Garden. There is also a tea house, Koshoan, where you can drink tea while looking out over the garden.
Sources
Updated 28 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.
