Marugame Castle

One day this week, I took the train to Marugame to visit the Marugame Castle. The entrance to the Castle grounds is about a 15 minute walk from the train station.   It's free to walk around the grounds; the castle has a 200 yen entrance fee to enter.

This information is from Japan-guide.com:

Marugame Castle (丸亀城, Marugamejō), also known as Kameyama Castle, is a hilltop castle in Marugame City. Situated high up on steep stone walls, the castle has a commanding view of the city below and overlooks one of the narrowest parts of the Seto Inland Sea, a feature which afforded it control over the main shipping lanes of the region. Marugame Castle is one of only twelve castles remaining in Japan that have survived the post feudal ages (since 1868) with their keep buildings intact.

Marugame Castle was originally constructed from 1597 to 1602 by Ikoma Chikamasa, the feudal lord who also built Tamamo Castle in nearby Takamatsu. However, due to a new policy by the shogun that limited the number of castles per province to just one, Marugame Castle was torn down again just 13 years after its completion. The castle was rebuilt in 1660 after the province had been split into two. Over the centuries many of the castle buildings were destroyed by fires, and now only the original keep and several of the castle gates remain.

The walk from the entrance to the castle is a little steep, but not so bad. Currently the plum and cherry trees are starting to bloom and the view from the top is very nice. The inside of the castle is heavy wood and kind of dark.  The steps going up are very steep, but that didn't stop elderly women with canes from going up and down three floors. It was a nice day trip - more interesting Japanese history.

train station steps