Fushimi Castle

From Jcastle.info

Fushimi3.jpg

History

The mock castle you see in the pictures here was built on this spot because the original location of Fushimi Castle is on Imperial property and cannot be entered.

It seems Fushimi Castle was never destined to have a successful life. The original Fushimi Castle was founded in 1594 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Just one year later it was destroyed in a great earthquake. Hideyoshi commanded another castle to be built near this location. He died a couple years after its completion. Tokugawa Ieyasu then moved into the castle which was destroyed in a battle before the battle of Sekigahara. He rebuilt the castle again only to have it dismantled as a part of his own one castle per country laws. Some of the buildings, yagura, and stone walls were repurposed to other castles and temples around the area including Fukuyama Castle, Yodo Castle and Osaka Castle.


Visit Notes

According to my sources, the castle/museum is now closed and no longer open to the public.


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Gallery
  • Fushimi castle donjon
  • main keep
  • A reconstructed yaguramon gate.
  • main keep
  • Fushimi Castle donjon
  • Daitenshu
  • Kotenshu
  • Entrance of main donjon
  • A view of the castle's moat
  • Original stone blocks used at the castle, now left below the castle's 2nd bailey on the road to the Meiji Tumuli
  • Tumulus of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Meiji, site of the castle's former main bailey
  • Gokonomiya Shrine's main gate is a repurposed gate from the castle
  • Castle's moat
  • modern terminus of the castle's outer moat
  • the castle's 2nd bailey from below


Castle Profile
English Name Fushimi Castle
Japanese Name 伏見城
Founder Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Year Founded 1594
Castle Type Flatland
Castle Condition Reconstructed main keep
Historical Period Pre Edo Period
Year Reconstructed 1964 (concrete)
Features main keep, gates, turrets, stone walls, walls
Visitor Information
Access Momoyama Station (JR Nara Line)
Visitor Information
Time Required
Location Kyoto, Kyoto
Coordinates 34° 56' 28.43" N, 135° 46' 44.94" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle 2004
Admin Year Visited 2022
Admin Visits July 8, 2022
Friends of JCastle
Malcolm Fairman Photography - Fushimi Castle


2.71
(21 votes)
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ARTShogun

27 months ago
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Have gone through and added co-ords for old and new pictures. Better quality pictures would be good here though to replace the old low res ones and my rainy, blurry ones ; D

I also wonder if there are any traces of the ninomaru mizubori? It's indicated on google maps as "hori-ato" which is never a good sign, but satellite imagery shows a long pond beneath the mogi-tenshu's castle carpark...

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EricShogun

14 months ago
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I could see it a little bit through the trees, but it's off limits. Maybe in winter I can get a better shot.
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ARTShogun

14 months ago
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Did you go recently?
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ARTShogun

44 months ago
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The main ruins left of this castle are located in Kitabouri Park north of the castle. This was the castle's former water moat and the remains are quite extensive and impressive.

The Gokounomiya Shrine has (Kohata) Fushimijou's relocated Ohtemon gate as its main gate, and this, unlike some other relocated structures, is quite close to the castle site still and so worth visiting. Gokounomiya was relocated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to make way for Shigetsu-Fushimijou but was then relocated back to its current location in 1605. The Ohtemon Gate was donated to Gokounomiya by the Tokugawa in 1622 shortly before the castle was decommissioned. Gokounomiya also has an exhibition of artifacts found at Fushimijou. Ishigaki formerly used at the castle are located on the road which goes to the mausoleum of the Emperor Meiji, which is now the site of the honmaru, so visit there if you want to visit the actual honmaru site. The path also runs by the slopes of the ninomaru. The original stone wall of Shigetsu-Fushimijou can be found at a nearby danchi site. There is also a marker and signboard across the Uji River for Mukaijimajou, a satellite fortification of Fushimijou.

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ARTShogun

45 months ago
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There is a small museum, mostly containing rooftiles found at Fushimijou, located at Gokonomiya Shrine nearby. They were closed when I visited. I also visited the Shigetsujou ruins - in the Danchi, the signpost for Mukaijimajou where Toyotomi Hideyoshi was temporarily residing after the earthquake which levelled Shigetsujou, the first Fushimi Castle, and the mausoleums of the Meiji Emperor and his wife, which takes one as close as is possible to the latter (Yahata) Fushimijou's original honmaru and ninomaru. Along the way there are some rocks thought to have been used in the construction of the castle. Finally I visited the kitabori park which was the most impressive part of the site. The reconstructed castle keep is, of course, still closed, as of 2020. It's possible to make quite an adventure out of visiting here but the reconstruction is derelict.

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SuupaahiirooAshigaru

62 months ago
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There are some other buildings that survived, but were moved elsewhere. These are some of them.

In the magnificent Sankei-en (三溪園) garden in Yokohama we can find the Gekkaden (月華殿). It's a building from 1603 that was used as a guest house for daimyō. (There's also a building from Nijō-jō in Sankei-en, by the way.) Sankei-en is open pretty all year round and very well worth a visit (700 yen).

At Toyokuni Shrine (豊国神社) in Kyoto City, there's a National Treasure kara-mon gate that's said to be a building that formerly belonged to Fushimi Castle. According to a sign at the shrine, its history of being moved is as follows: Fushimi Castle → Nijō Castle → Konchi-in (Nanzen-ji) → Toyokuni Shrine. Because the gate is on shrine grounds you can see it for free.

The history of the kara-mon gate at Nishi-hongan-ji Temple (西本願寺) is not really clear, but it might have been a building at Fushimi Castle or Juraku-dai (聚楽第). It might even have been moved here from Toyokuni Shrine. You can see the gate for free because it's in the unpaid area of the temple.

Together with the kara-mon gate at Daitoku-ji Temple (大徳寺), supposedly moved there from the Juraku-dai, the two gates listed here are also called "the three kara-mon gates of Momoyama" (桃山の三唐門) or "the three National Treasure kara-mon gates" (国宝三唐門)

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SuupaahiirooAshigaru

51 months ago
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I keep stumbling onto Fushimi-jō-related places in Kyoto (and elsewhere). I guess there should be a website somewhere with a complete overview, but it's kinda exciting to keep bumping into them by chance, so I don't really feel like searching for it. Let me just share some more of my personal findings here.

Far away in Fukuyama, a few buildings from Fushimi-jō survive, a gate and the aptly named Fushimi-yagura, right next to one another. Even two reconstructed buildings are replicas of original Fushimi-buildings: the bathroom (湯殿 yudono, a national treasure before it was destroyed in the war) and another yagura. The way part of the yudono hangs over the stonewall like a balcony is a rare sight.

In Kyoto there are multiple buildings at Kōdai-ji (including two famous tearooms), a gate at Byōdō-in, a room at Konchi-in, and the main hall of Yōgen-in (near Sanjūsangen-dō). Near Nanzen-ji and the Keage Incline stands a gate called Akezu no Mon. This one is particularly beautiful and can be seen from the street: definitely worth a quick detour! The hōjō at Hōnen-in has fusuma-e by Kanō Mitsunobu and was a part of the castle's goten (this temple is only opened a few days a year). Jōjakkō-ji in Arashiyama is said to be constructed from wood from Fushimi-jō. Furthermore, there are some chitenjō, blood-stained floorboards turned into ceilings. I found some at Tenkyū-in (a subtemple of Myōshin-ji), Shōden-ji, Yōgen-in (mentioned earlier), Genkō-an, and Hōsen-in in Ōhara. If you're interested in seeing chitenjō, I guess Genkō-an has the most vividly visible footprints and so, though I must say I feel a little strange for recommending something as macabre as this.

I guess one could spend a few days in Kyoto doing a 'tour of Fushimi Castle'. Many of these sights are only slightly recognisable as castle remnants, but being great temples on their own these places qualify as worth visiting anyway, so why not? :)
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SuupaahiirooAshigaru

81 months ago
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From 18 February to 25 June 2017, there is a special archaeological exhibition about Yodo Castle and Fushimi Castle. The exhibition is free and will be held at Kyoto City Archaeological Museum. For more info (in Japanese) see http://www.c...0213675.html

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SuupaahiirooAshigaru

84 months ago
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To add to what Matt said (April 16, 2011): another one of the 'blood roofs' (血天井 chitenjō) with floorboards from Momoyama Castle can be found in Shōden-ji (正伝寺) in Northern Kyoto. According to the temple's leaflet scientists found out that the blood was left on the panels at least 368 years ago. It's quite a macabre sight: one can make out the shape of hands quite clearly. The dry landscape garden (枯山水 karesansui) at Shōden-ji is also lovely, so the temple is definitely worth a visit.

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RonSAshigaru

106 months ago
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The actual castle site is nearby, but separate from the reconstructed tenshu. It is within the grounds of the Emperor Meiji's tomb and, as sacred ground, is closed to the public.

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RonSAshigaru

107 months ago
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Jorma-san, I can tell you with 99.99% certainty that because this mock up was built of concrete in 1964 the interior has all the beauty and charm of a city or ward office. We most likely aren't missing anything by not being able to go inside except perhaps the view from the top. The very best I can imagine is something like the interiors of Osaka or Nagoya Castles' keeps. I hope I'm wrong, but long experience with post war Showa Period reconstructions (especially from the 60s!!!) makes that a very very VERY long shot.

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Anonymous user #1

108 months ago
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A pity that this castle is closed because as the inside is probably as beautiful as the outside. It is worth a visit: have walk around and enjoy the beauty of the castle from the outside. And very close to this place there are some good Sake breweries in Fushimi.

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Anonymous user #1

113 months ago
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Visited: 11 May 2014 ☆

Really beautiful from the outside, but unfortunately still closed to public...

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A22cricketAshigaru

149 months ago
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Nice mock up in the middle of a park. Good for photographs in the evening and relaxing walks in the amazingly well kept park.

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A22cricketAshigaru

149 months ago
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I had to see this one for myself. An abandoned mock castle in the middle of a park, well hidden from most people. The nearest station is only 11 minutes from Kyoto Station. Basically, a nice park with a concrete castle in it. I'd recommend this as a side trip from nearby Inari Shrine or Kyoto if you are not in the mood to head home or to your hotel right away. The exterior is still in good shape and makes for some good pictures in the early evening around sunset.

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RaymondWDaimyo

154 months ago
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I went to this castle again on the way back from Yamato-Koriyama Castle. There is now a sign out in Japanese just in front of the closed main door to the castle keep stating that it is closed, but visitors are welcome to enjoy the garden and the exterior views of the castle.

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FurinkazanHatamoto

157 months ago
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I went here after Shoryuji castle. I completely agree with Raymond. It is a very nice reconstruction. It should be a 1,5 star, but this is not possible, so i give it 2 stars. It is closed, but i don't even know if it opens for the public. Perhaps on special occasions.

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RaymondWDaimyo

157 months ago
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I gave it two stars based on its appearance from the outside. You cannot go inside as it is closed and has not been opened the few times that I have been there. As a reconstructed castle keep, it is no worse and certainly better looking than some others. Of course, if you factor in authenticity and historical location, then it is only a one star castle.

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RaymondWDaimyo

181 months ago
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This is a pretty decent reconstructed castle to visit. I've just got back from there a few hours ago. It is so easy to get there for people living in or near Kyoto City. Of course, it is not in its original location, and there is none of the original fortifications like fortified towers, wells, and gates that you will find at other castle sites, but for a reconstructed castle keep, it is no worse than other concrete keeps (as seen from the outside) like Fukuyama, Hiroshima, and Imabari Castle.

The autumn leaves are showing now, and it is a good place to visit and take a few piccies.

The castle itself is closed to the public, but you can stroll around in its garden and take photos of the keep from various angles. The best thing about it is that it's free. I reckon this castle deserves another star.

For castle geeks, you can easily do this and Koriyama Castle Ruins in Nara in one day as both places are located near train stations on the same Kintetsu Line about an hour apart.

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