Kofu Castle

History

Kofu Castle was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1583 after he defeated Takeda shingen's heir, Katsuyori, in 1582. Next to Edo Castle, Kofu Castle was the strongest castle in the Kanto region. Until Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu became lord of Kofu Castle, it was also considered to be the residence of the lord closest to the shogun. From 1724 to the end of the Edo Period, the lord of Kofu Castle changed on a rotating basis with around 200 lords having held the title by the end of Edo Period. I have seen reference in some English materials/websites mistakenly claiming that this Kofu Castle (Maizuru Castle) was run by the Takeda. While Kofu was a castle town of the Takeda they actually ruled from the Tsutsujigasaki Yakata.

Visit Notes

Kofu recently finished restoring the Inari Yagura and Yamanote Gomon gate. The gate is across the opposite side of the train station and tracks so make sure you don't miss it. When the weather is good the top of the castle offers nice views of the surrounding mountains too.

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Gallery

moat, bridge, and walls of Kofu Castle
donjon foundation
Inari Yagura
Yamanote Gomon gate
inside the Yamanote Gomon gate.
Yamanote Gomon Gate
Kajikuruwa gate
Inarikuruwa Gate
Akagane Gate
Akagane Gate
Kurogane gate
moats and walls
honmaru wall
Bailey and Inari Yagura.
Kofu Castle map
stone foundation
Reconstructed Kuroganemon Gatehouse to Honmaru
Inari Yagura seen from within castle walls
Edo Period style bell tower with Inari Yagura in background, seen from Yamanotemon ramparts

Castle Profile
English Name	Kofu Castle
Japanese Name	甲府城
Alternate Names	Maizuru Castle
Founder	Tokugawa Ieyasu
Year Founded	1583
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Designations	Top 100 Castles, Prefectural Historic Site
Historical Period	Edo Period
Features	gates, turrets, stone walls, walls
Visitor Information
Access	3 minute walk from Kofu Station (Chuo Line)
Visitor Information
Time Required
Website	http://www.city.kofu.yamanashi.jp/kanko/history/0104.htm
Location	Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture
Coordinates	35° 39' 55.26" N, 138° 34' 15.31" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2003
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2003, 2007, 2015, 2017
Admin Visits	November 15, 2003; November 17, 2007

3.08

(12 votes)

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ARTShogun

21 months ago

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Some clarification on this castle's origins. The castle as seen today largely took shape in the early Edo period. Before 1583 it was the site of a Takeda controlled fort called 一条小山城. Initially a yakata was built in the late Heian period, and Takeda Nobutora is thought also to have fortified the hill with the construction of Tsutsujigasaki-yakata.

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ARTShogun

36 months ago

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Added a couple of my pictures, including of reconstructed Kuroganemon gatehouse, and co-ordinates for various photos in gallery.

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ARTShogun

96 months ago

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Maizuru Castle is fairly large with many reconstructed gates: Kuroganemon, Inarikuruwamon, Kajikuruwamon, Uchimatsukagemon, Yamanotemon. There is also a reconstructed turret, Inari-yagura, and a large dōjo building, Butokuden, which is possibly styled on the Go’ten (castle palace).

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RaymondWDaimyo

110 months ago

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I revisited this castle in mid-August. It's been four years since my previous visit, and in that time they have finished the Kuroganemon. Like Kanazawa Castle, the people that manage this castle ruin seem to be regularly adding new reconstructions. My wife got her 100 Meijo Stamp, and unlike four years ago, they now have a free fold-out brochure about the castle, its history, a 3-D map of the castle grounds, the recontructed structures and methods used to rebuild them, and work to preserve the stone walls. This folds out to four A4 pages and is worth picking up as it is made from quality paper and in colour.

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FurinkazanDaimyo

126 months ago

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I revisted this site today. I was woried by the weather, but after a rainy morning it was very sunny and warm. I leisurely visited the site. I took more than 120 photos(i think my record on one site) and i really enjoyed the reconstructed parts. For info one of the kuroganemon of the honmaru has been reconstructed. It was finished last year. It would be nice if one day the complete castle should be reconstructed, but the railroad-tracks would be in the way.

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Anonymous user #1

151 months ago

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I'm originally from the north east of England and currently living in Kofu. Kofu castle reminds me very much of Berwick castle. Why? The stupid victorians/meiji era folk knocked the bloody thing down so they could build a train station in the middle of it. On the north side of of kofu station is a small reconstructed gate with a tiny museum on top. South west of Kofu station is the castle park, the walls and the moat are all there and look good and the basic layout of the castle exists. Building wise though there's only a small donjon.

I'd love it if they were to reconstruct Kofu castle, it would look magnificent but it isn't to happen and for the time being Kofu castle is nothing more than a park. A quite decent park, particularly in sakura season, but nothing worth going out of your way (which Kofu almost certainly is) for.

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RaymondWDaimyo

159 months ago

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I talked with a staff member in the reconstructed Yamanote Gate (rebuilt in 2007.) He told me that most of the gate was built with red pine (akamatsu in Japanese) while some of the broad supporting beams were sourced from another type of tree. Those beams were from trees that were around 1,000 years old. All the wood was sourced from within Japan, and the pine was sourced from within Yamanashi Prefecture. If you go to the Yamanote Gate, they will play a complete video for you lasting 26 minutes. You don’t have to watch the whole thing. The guy there said that I could stop watching it whenever I want. The whole video is in Japanese, but parts of it are pretty interesting about the construction and history of the castle. Kofu Castle has plenty of ishigaki, and it reminds me a little bit of Marugame Castle, where practically the whole hill is encased in stone blocks. They are doing some renovation on part of the ishigaki, so one of the access routes to the honmaru is blocked off. This is a nice castle ruin for castle fans. I gave it three stars because it has a reconstructed turret, a masugata-style gate, lots of reconstructed smaller gates, and plenty of ishigaki. Both the turret and the Yamanote Gate are reconstructed using wood.

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Anonymous user #1

169 months ago

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It was a bit early for the Autumn leaves but the grounds were still nice. There was some construction work going on around the honmaru and the Inari yagura. The 100meijo stamp is located in the Onshirin Memorail Hall, and supposedly Inari yagura but the office was closed when I was there. Full marks for comprehensive, bilingual signposts; other than that not as exciting as the other side of the station.

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FurinkazanDaimyo

184 months ago

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Last april i stayed at Kofu for 2 weeks. I went there to attend at the Shingenko-matsuri. From Kofu i went, with the train, every day, to other locations. I had a room in the Toyoko-inn Kofu Ekimae hotel(see faq on this site). Just what i looked after: a bed and a bathroom. On arrival i visited the Yamanote Gomon and the Castle park. The reconstucted towers are very nice. In both you'll find a little museum, with some interesting pieces. The castle park is very beautiful, especially with the sakura in bloom. From a lot of spots one will have a nice view of the Fujisan. You can easily go from the Yamanote Gomon to the Castlepark, using a bridge, which crosses the railroadtracks. The park is used for several contests during the Shingenko-matsuri.

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