Wakayama Castle
和歌山城
The castle of the Kishu Tokugawa branch, with a white main keep on Mount Torafuse. It is one of Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots, and the Momijidani autumn-leaf garden inside is free to visit.
Wakayama Castle was built in 1585 by Toyotomi Hidenaga. From 1619 it became the home castle of the Kishu Domain, one of the three Tokugawa branch houses. The original main keep was destroyed in an air raid in 1945 and was rebuilt in its original form in 1958. Its interior is a museum displaying relics of the domain lords, and from the top floor you can look out over the Kinokawa River and Wakayama Bay. The Momijidani garden in the Nishi-no-maru and the roofed Gobashi-rōka corridor can be visited free of charge. Admission to the main keep is about 410 yen, open 9:00–17:30. It is about a 10-minute walk from Nankai Wakayama-shi Station, or about a 10-minute bus ride from JR Wakayama Station to Kōen-mae.
Opening hours
Keep tower 9:00 AM–5:30 PM (closed December 29–31); castle grounds park open all day
Nearby sights
- Wakayama Ramen (Ide Shoten)
- Hinokuma & Kunikakasu Shrines
- Kishu Toshogu
- Yosuien Garden
- Wakanoura & Tamatsushima Shrine
- Kimii-dera
- Saikazaki & Bandokoro Garden
- Kuroshio Market (Wakayama Marina City)