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Kochi Castle

高知県

Built by Yamauchi Kazutoyo in 1601, the only castle in Japan where both the keep and palace survive intact

Founded

1601

Type

Castle

Visited

Want to go

Access

About 10 min by tram from JR Kochi Station, alight at Kochi-jomae

Marunouchi, Kochi, Kochi

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Info

Castle

Founded 1601

425 years

Overview

Kochi Castle is one of Japan's twelve surviving original castles, begun by Yamauchi Kazutoyo in 1601 following his reward of Tosa Province after the Battle of Sekigahara. Uniquely, both the keep and the main hall (Kaitokukan) survive together, making it the only such castle in Japan; both are designated Important Cultural Properties. The present keep, rebuilt in 1749 after a 1727 fire, rises impre…

Origins

Construction began in 1601 when Yamauchi Kazutoyo received Tosa Province for his service at Sekigahara. After a devastating fire in 1727, the castle was rebuilt by 1749. The surviving keep and palace form the only complete honmaru complex in Japan. During the Bakumatsu period, it produced notable fi…

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Emperor Tsuchimikado (1196-1231) did not participate in his father Go-Toba's 1221 uprising and was exempted from punishment by the Kamakura shogunate. But out of family solidarity, he voluntarily requested exile and was sent to Tosa, then Awa province. He died there at age 35. Ironically, his son later became Emperor Go-Saga, restoring his line to imperial succession.

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Tosa & Awa: Shikoku's South Sea Exile Provinces

Tosa (modern Kochi) and Awa (modern Tokushima) in southern Shikoku served as Nankaido exile sites in classical Japan. [Emperor Tsuchimikado](/character/sanetomo) (1221, who voluntarily requested exile) and Minamoto Mareyoshi (1160, Yoritomo's younger brother) are the most prominent figures sent here. The legacy of these exiles intertwines with the later Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage culture in unique ways.

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Sakamoto Ryoma

Architect of the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance

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Ryoma was born a lower-ranking samurai under Kochi Castle's lords. Constrained by the rigid Yamauchi class system, he left the domain to pursue national revolution.

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Visiting Information

Hours

Open 9:00 AM–5:00 PM (last entry 4:30 PM). Hours may extend during Golden Week and the Yosakoi Festival. Closed December 26–January 1.

Admission

Admission to the keep, Kaitokukan, Higashi-tamon, and Rokamon: adults (18+) ¥500 individual, ¥400 for groups of 20+. Free for under 18, disability-certificate holders, etc.

As of 2026-07-18. Subject to change.

Also Worth Visiting

潮

Ushioe Tenmangu

Tosa's oldest Tenmangu, founded in 901 by Michizane's son, and said to have been visited by young Ryoma

A shrine on the Kagami River enshrining Yamauchi Kazutoyo, founder of the Tosa domain, and successive lords

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