There are twelve castles in Japan with main towers dating back to the Edo period, and of these, four are in Shikoku – Marugame, Matsuyama, Uwajima and Kōchi. There are also reconstructed castles and historic battle sites that repay exploration.
On our Shikoku Castles and Culture tour, you visit the original castles as well as reconstructions such as Kawanoe Castle and battle sites like the remains of Yuzuki Castle in Dōgo. These castles are home to museums richly endowed with medieval weapons and armour, but which also strongly evoke the peacetime lives of their inhabitants. Although they’re located in modern cities, Shikoku’s castles are generally located atop significant hills and you hike up winding trails through rich woodland to get to them. The woods are full of birds and other small wildlife.
The castle towns were, and still are, flourishing cultural centres, with pilgrimage temples and shrines, wonderful sake breweries, and expansive gardens where samurai lords relaxed when they weren’t preparing for war.
Each of the castles visited is different. Kōchi is perhaps the most complete of Japanese castles since the palace of the feudal lord still remains. The anti-ninja spikes around its keep are also unique. Ōzu was one of the first castle keeps in Japan to be rebuilt from scratch using authentic materials and craftsmanship. The scent of freshly cut timber still lingers. Takamatsu has water defences fed by the Inland Sea, and saltwater fish patrol its moat. You can learn more about the different castles in our Shikoku Castles blog.
This tour is for people who are interested in history, architecture, and gardens. You’ll also learn a fair bit about sake and food. All of the places visited on the tour can only be accessed by climbing a lot of uneven steps, so you’ll need to be reasonably fit. Needless to say, the castles were all built in highly strategic locations with commanding views over the regions they controlled. So after your hike up to the castle keep, you can be sure of being rewarded by views that encompass the surrounding castle town, the nearby mountains, and the Inland Sea or Pacific Ocean.