The garden was originally built in the early Edo period as the castle’s garden. It

has been designed to be best enjoyed by taking a stroll around it. The upper

pond features a large boulder called a ‘Boat Stone; A small island was installed in

the moat to make it appear as if it were a second, larger pond.

In 1985, the garden was officially designated by the government as a Japanese

Place of Scenic Beauty. Because the crimson maple leaves are beautiful in the

fall, it is also known as the ‘Momijidani-Teien’, or the ‘Garden of the Valley of

Maple Leaves’. The best time to see the

autumn leaves here is from the end of

September through the beginning of

November.

I Climbed Wakayama Castle!Commemorative Stamp

HistoricalWakayama Castle

Nishinomaru-Teien Garden (Momijidani-Teien) The Tokugawa Family

Flower Information

The History of Wakayama Castle

In 1585 Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hideyoshi subjugated the Kishu territory (the

area now known as Wakayama) and ordered his younger brother, Hidenaga to

build a castle on Mt. Okayama (now known as Mt. Torafusu). This is the castle

we know today as Wakayama Castle.

Todo Takatora was in charge of overseeing the building of the castle. This

castle can be said to be the first early modern castle that he was involved in

building.

When Hidenaga was moved to Yamato Koriyama Castle, Kuwayama Shigeharu

was placed in charge of the castle. Later, when Hidenaga’s family line came to an

end, Kuwayama became lord of the castle. During this time, the Toyotomi and

Kuwayama periods, construction was mainly focused on the area at the top of the

mountain and the Okaguchi area.

In 1600, after the Battle of Sekigahara, Asano Yoshinaga came to Kishu. With

Asano as the daimyo, the area produced 376,000 *koku of rice. He worked to

increase the size of the castle, developing the main castle keep into its current

interconnected-style and building a residence in the areas that are now known

as Honmaru, Ninomaru, and Nishinomaru. The main gate was changed from

the Okaguchimon Gate to the Ichinohashimon Gate. The surrounding castle

town was built around Honmachidori Ave., the main avenue that extended out

from Ichinohashimon Gate.

In 1619, Yorinobu, the 10th son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, came to the area, which

now yielded 555,000 *koku, and established the House of Kishu. Part of the

inner west moat was filled in to allow for the Ninomaru area to be expanded.

The Minaminonaru and Sunanomaru areas were incorporated into the inner

ward of the castle, and the castle came to look much the same as it does today.

Wakayama Castle came to be known as the most important fortress that

watched over Western Japan. Many notable figures, including the Eighth

Shogun, Yoshimune, and the 14th Shogun, Iemochi, came from here.

In 1871 the feudal system was abolished and the country was divided into

prefectures. During this time, the castle was used as an army lookout point.

Thirty years later it was opened to the public as Wakayama Park. Finally, in

1931, it was established as a historical site.

　*A koku is a unit used to express power and economic strength equivalent to approximately 150 kilograms of rice, or enough to feed one person for a year.

Engyokaku Pavillion and the autumn leaves

Daffodils・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Ninomaru and other locations (late February)

Cherry Blossoms・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Castle grounds (late March - early April)

Japanese Globeflowers・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Tsuru no Tani Valley (April)

Tree Peonies・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Ninomaru (late April)

Azaleas・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Around the dry south moat (late April - early May)

Hydrangeas・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Tsuru no Tani Valley (early June)

AzaleasJapanese GlobeflowersCherry Blossoms Tree Peonies

■Castle Business Hours and Entrance Fees　○ Admission:

Adults （Including high school students） ¥ 410

Students （Jr. high and younger） ¥ 200

Group Discounts Available, Children Free on Saturdays

　○ Hours:

9:00 AM - 5:30 PM （Last entrance, 5:00 PM）

　○ Closed:Dec. 29th - 31th

■Access　Take the bus from JR Wakayama Station or Nankai Wakayama-shi station and get off at the ‘Koen-mae’ bus stop.

■For More Information

　○ Wakayama Castle　　 3, Ichiban-cho, Wakayama City 640-8146　☎ （073） 422-8789

　○ Wakayama City Culture and Sports Promotion Foundation （Public Interest Incorporated Foundation）　　 36, Nishimigiwa-cho, Wakayama City （Wakayama Chamber of Commerce, 1st Floor）　☎ （073） 422-1152

　○ Wakayama Castle Facilities Planning Division 　　 23, Shichiban-cho, Wakayama City 640-8511　☎ （073） 435-1044

Nishinomaru-Teien Garden Entrance Fees and Admission　○ Open: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, 7 Days a Week

　○ Closed: December 29th - December 31st

　　 (Ohashiroka Bridge closed until December 29th - January 3rd)

This pamphlet was created with the support of a grant received in 2013 from the Project to Provide General Use Support to Promote Historic Landmarks that Make the Best Use of the Unique Characteristics of the Local Area.

Tokugawa Harutomi, the Tenth Lord of Kishu, was known as the feudal lord who loved elegance. He contributed greatly to the cultural development in Kishu.

Tokugawa Yorinobu, the First Lord of Kishu, was called ‘The Dragon of the Southern Seas’. He founded and established the House of Kishu.

Tokugawa Yoshimune, the Fifth Lord of Kishu, worked to streamline the economy of his domain. As the Eighth Shogun he carried out financial reforms.

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Nishinomaru-Teien Garden(Momijidani-Teien)

Tsuru no TaniValley

Sunanomaru

OimawashimonGate

Donjon

Honmaru Palace

Back Path

Front Path

Minaminomaru

Zoo

FumeimonGate

Okaguchimon Gate

Ninomaru

Nishinomaru

●WAKAYAMA　HISTORICAL　CENTER

BusParking

CamphorTree

Statue ofRecliningTiger

NewBack Path

Gokoku Shrine

Ichinohashi Bridge

Ohashi RoukaBridge

OtemonGate

Nozura-zumi - Rough, Unworked Walls　The stone is simply piled up in the form it comes in

from the quarry, with no modi�cations. This creates

rough walls with a relatively gentle slope. This style of

wall building was mostly used during the Toyotomi and

Kuwayama periods using mostly green schist and other

kinds of crystalline schist.

Uchikomi-hagi - Rough Joinery with Wedged-in Pieces　In this style of wall building, the

surface of the rocks is worked roughly to

help them �t together better. The

remaining gaps are then �lled by

wedging in small stones. These walls

were built during the Asano and

Tokugawa periods using sandstone from the

Tomogashima Islands. The rocks with seals carved into

them are largely thought to be from the Asano period.

Kirikomi-hagi - Precise Joinery Using Cut Stones

　In this style of wall building, the rocks are worked precisely, allowing the slope of the walls

to be very steep. These walls were made during the Tokugawa Period with porphyritic

granite from Kumano. Kirikomi-hagi joinery is used in places such as corners, tall stone

walls, and in front of the statue of the reclining tiger.

Diagram of Wakayama Castle and the Surrounding Areas

(The original document is housed　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　in the Wakayama Prefectural Library.)

　The kinds of stones used and the styles of building vary between time periods.

The Historic Stone Walls of Wakayama Castle

Carved seal

Wakayama Castle Ninomaru

Ohashiroka Bridge

The Ohashiroka Bridge was built to

allow the feudal lord, his retainers and

his ladies in waiting to cross between

Ninomaru and Nishinomaru. It was

built with a roof and walls to prevent

people from being able to see in from

the outside. This kind of diagonally ascending bridge is very unusual in Japan.

It was rebuilt in March of 2006.

Wakayama Castle before it was destroyedduring World War Ⅱ

Okaguchimon Gate

Eyelet in the earthen wall

Nishinomaru

Ohashi RoukaBridge

Ninomaru

Donjon

HonmaruPalace

Matsunomaru

Minaminomaru

OkaguchimonGate

Sunanomaru

OimawashimonGate

OtemonGate

When it was originally built on the west

summit of Mt. Torafusu by the House of

Asano, Wakayama Castle was very similar

to its current state. However, at the time,

the outer walls were covered in black

wooden paneling.

The castle consists of a series of intercon-

nected buildings surrounding a central courtyard. The main, three-tiered castle tower

is followed (clockwise) by an interconnecting corridor, the inner castle gate called

Tenshunino-mon (also known as the ‘Camphor Wood Gate’), another corridor, the

northwest watchtower, another corridor, the cookery, and, finally a small tower.

In 1798, Tokugawa Harutomi, the 10th Lord of Kishu, ordered for the castle’s black

paneling to be changed into white walls like the ones you see today.

In 1846, the castle was struck by lightning and was destroyed in the resulting fire.

Because it was the castle of one of the three top Tokugawa families, special permission

was granted in 1850 to allow it to be restored to roughly its original state.

In 1935, Wakayama Castle was designated as a national treasure. However, on July

9th, 1945, it was burned to the ground during an air bombing. After the war, the citizens

of Wakayama requested for it to be rebuilt. Subsequently, in 1958, it was rebuilt in

reinforced concrete.

　At the time of the castle’s construction, this gate

was used as the main castle gate. However, during

the Asano Period it was called the Karametemon

Gate and was used as the back gate.

The current two-story gate was built in 1621 by

the House of Tokugawa. The Okaguchimon Gate

miraculously survived the air-raids during the war that

burned down the rest of the castle, making it one of the few

precious remnants from the old feudal era. The Okaguchi-

mon Gate and the earthen wall on the north side of the castle

were designated as important cultural properties in 1957.

‘Otemon’ means the main gate used

for accessing the inner quarters of the

castle. Originally, the gate was named

Ichinohashi -gomon Gate a f ter the

adjacent Ichinohashi Bridge. Later, in

the Asano period the gate began to be used as the main entrance. In 1796

the gate was renamed, and the gate and bridge were referred to separately

as the Otemon (main) Gate and the Ichinohashi Bridge.

In May of 1909 the gate collapsed and was not rebuilt until March of 1982.

In March of the following year the Ichinohashi Bridge was also restored. This detailed map of the inner quarters of Wakayama Castle was made by the

Kishu Domain’s contractor. This diagram clearly shows Wakayama Castle as it was

in the late Edo period. It includes the positions of the castle tower’s quarters on the

west summit of Mt. Torafusu, Honmaru-goten Palace on the east peak, Ninomaru at

the north foot of the mountain, Nishinomaru on the west side of the Ohashiroka

Bridge, Sunanomaru to the west and south of Nishinomaru, and Minaminomaru on

the south foot of the mountain.

The original drawing was originally created in the 1800s. Every time new construc-

tion was carried out, the applicable areas would be drawn up, cut out, and glued on

to the original map to update it.

This map also shows the cardinal directions divided into 24 sub-directions with the

main tower in the center. The map matches up almost perfectly with maps created

using modern surveying techniques. Because the main castle tower burnt down

after being struck by lighting and was then rebuilt, that section has been pasted over

with a diagram of the new tower.

During the Tokugawa era, Honmaru-

goten Palace was located on the top of

the mountain. However because that

location was cramped and inconve-

nient, a separate dwelling and adminis-

trative offices for the feudal lord were

built in Ninomaru.

Ninomaru was divided into 3 sections. The outer section was used for the

affairs of the feudal clan, the middle section was the official residence of the

feudal lord, and the inner section was the private residence of the feudal lord

and his ladies in waiting.

The garden was originally built in the late Edo period as the castle’s garden. It

has been designed to be best enjoyed by taking a stroll around it. The upper

pond features a large boulder called a ‘Boat Stone.’ A small island was installed

in the moat to make it appear as if it were a second, larger pond.

In 1985, the garden was officially designated by the government as a Japanese

Place of Scenic Beauty. Because the crimson maple leaves are beautiful in the

fall, it is also known as the ‘Momijidani-Teien’, or the ‘Garden of the Valley of

Maple Leaves’. The best time to see the

autumn leaves here is from the end of

September through the beginning of

November.

Nishinomaru-Teien Garden (Momijidani-Teien)

Otemon Gate and　 Ichinohashi Bridge