Kawagoe Castle

History

Kawagoe Castle was founded in 1457 by Ota Doshin and his son Dokan under the order of Uesugi Mochitomo. In 1546 it was taken over by the Hojo until it fell again to Hideyoshi as part of his attack on Odawara and the Hojo.

When the Tokugawa established their base of power at Edo (Tokyo), Kawagoe Castle functioned as an important defensive position for Edo. The city of Kawagoe likewise prospered as an important logistical hub for the transportation of food and other goods to and from Tokyo. This focus on logistics and trade also led to the abundance of storehouse style buildings you can still see today. In this old part of town you can also get a feeling for an Edo Period castle town

Visit Notes

The only real remnants of the castle are the lord's palace, but it is well worth the trip because there are very few extant palaces. You can also spend the day exploring other historical sites in Kawagoe.
全体的に行こうは少ないですが、現存の御殿としてはとても貴重な見地物なので見に行く価値があります。

Gallery

honmaru goten entrance
Entrance to the honmaru
Nakanomon Moat
Gate at the nakanomon moat
Fujimi Yagura site
Area where the Fujimi Yagura stood
palace
Outside of the palace
honmaru palace
Honmaru Palace
Honmaru Palace
Honmaru Palace
Honmaru Palace
Honmaru Palace
Honmaru Palace
Honmaru Palace
Honmaru Palace
Honmaru Palace
Honmaru Palace
Honmaru Palace
bell tower
kurazukuri buildings
map of Kawagoe Castle

Castle Profile
English Name	Kawagoe Castle
Japanese Name	川越城
Founder	Ota Doshin
Year Founded	1457
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Designations	Top 100 Castles, Prefectural Historic Site
Historical Period	Edo Period
Features	palace, castle town
Visitor Information
Access	Kawagoe Sta, Tobu Tojo Line, 20 min by tourist bus
Visitor Information	100 yen admission. Closed Mondays except National Holidays after which it is closed on Tuesday. Closed on the 4th Friday of each month except National Holidays. Closed Dec 28 - Jan 4.
Time Required	60 minutes
Website	http://museum.city.kawagoe.saitama.jp/hommaru/
Location	Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture
Coordinates	35° 55' 28.24" N, 139° 29' 29.15" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2006
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2006, 2012
Admin Visits	March 25, 2006; Aug 4, 2012

2.94

(17 votes)

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FurinkazanDaimyo

90 months ago

Score 0

I spend the whole day in Kawagoe. I visited a lot of temples and shrines. Like stated below, the Kita-in has the last buildings of the goten of Edojô. These were moved there to rebuild the temple. The goten of Kawagoejô is a must see. The mound of the Fujimiyaguraato is somewhat a letdown. If you buy a combination ticket of 600¥, you'll have access to the goten, the City museum, the City Art museum and the festival museum. There are several combinations, if you're not interested in the 4 musea. In the City museum you'll find a model of Kawagoe city during the Edo-period. The castle is very detailed. Another interesting museum, if you're interested in weapons and armors, is the small History museum. You are allowed to take pictures of everything. I spend more than 1h in that museum. The employees are eager to give some information. No really Kawagoe merits that you spend a complete day to visit.

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ARTShogun

96 months ago

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I also checked out the yaguradai (sentry turret foundation) on a nearby hilltop, and a preserved moat segment. I found a wooden model of the Fujimi Yagura at Kita’in where more original castle palatial structures have survived, those originally from Edojō.

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ARTShogun

97 months ago

Score 0

Not only does the Go'ten of Kawagoe Castle survive, but a nearby temple Kita'in has an original palatial building from Edo Castle too, including the room where Tokugawa Iemitsu was born.

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RaymondWDaimyo

147 months ago

Score 0

This is a fine palace to visit. It is one of only four original castle palaces left at Japanese castle sites. I went there a few weeks ago when I was in Tokyo. Apart from the actual palace, there isn't a lot of Kawagoe Castle's fortifications / structures left. Only part of the Nakanomon Moat, one of the outer moats, and the site of where the Fujimi Turret used to be can be seen now. The rest of the castle site has been pretty much been built over by modern day Kawagoe. For castle fans who collect the 100 Meijo stamps, there is a display of what all the 100 stamps look like in one of the rooms in the palace. There is also a pretty good book (in Japanese only) about the castle with lots of old period maps and a map of the original castle overlaid on a map of present-day Kawagoe.

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Anonymous user #1

169 months ago

Score 0

I went here a long time ago on a bus tour with the local friendship centre in my area. I'd like to go back again now that I would have a better understanding of it all – still, it was interesting to walk around the different rooms.

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