Hyogo Castle

If you look at the photos from the excavation signboards on-site, you’ll see an incredible outline of nearly perfectly preserved stonework — easily on par with what was uncovered at Sakamoto and later designated a National Historic Site. It’s honestly a travesty that this stonework was reburied to m

History

Hyogo Castle once stood at the heart of Hyogo-tsu, the flourishing port town. This area had long been strategic — it was even the site of Fukuhara-kyo, the brief capital established by Taira no Kiyomori (1118–1181). With the Sanyodo Road running just north, Hyogo served as a vital junction linking sea and land traffic across western Japan.

In 1578, during the Battle of Arioka (Itami Castle), Araki Murashige rebelled against Oda Nobunaga. After Itami fell, Murashige fled to Hanakuma Castle, but Nobunaga’s general Ikeda Tsuneoki and his son Terumasa captured it the following year. Nobunaga rewarded Tsuneoki with Settsu Province, and in 1580, he built Hyogo Castle near the harbor instead of occupying Hanakuma. The Settsu Meisho Zue records, “Tsuneoki demolished Hanakuma Castle, moved its stones, and built here.”

Tsuneoki governed briefly before being transferred to Ogaki Castle in 1583. Hyogo Castle then came under Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s control, with Katagiri Katsumoto stationed here. During this time it was known as Katagiri Jin’ya, and traces of a moat and a triple gate have been found in excavations.

In the Edo period, Hyogo remained an important diplomatic and trade port — eleven of twelve Korean embassies to Japan landed here. Later, the site became the Hyogo Jin’ya, first under the Amagasaki Domain (1617) and then directly under the shogunate from 1769.

After the Meiji Restoration, the former jin’ya served as the first Hyogo Prefectural Office, but the remains were cleared by 1874 during port redevelopment and construction of the Shinkawa Canal.

Field Notes

If you look at the photos from the excavation signboards on-site, you’ll see an incredible outline of nearly perfectly preserved stonework — easily on par with what was uncovered at Sakamoto and later designated a National Historic Site. It’s honestly a travesty that this stonework was reburied to make way for the Aeon Mall. When I visited, the mall itself was almost empty even on a Sunday afternoon. It's a sad trade-off for what could have been one of Hyogo’s great castle ruins. I wish they had lat least put more above ground than the token fragments now on display.

The real highlight of a visit to Hyogo Castle is the Hyogo-no-Tsu Museum (兵庫津ミュージアム), an excellent exhibition on the port’s history. It also features a beautiful reconstruction of the First Hyogo Prefectural Office, a fascinating bridge between the Edo-period Hyogo Jin’ya and the early Meiji government. (See my sub-album “First Prefectural Office” for details.)

Original profile by AndrewA (2020), updated and enhanced by Eric (2025)

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Gallery

Jin'ya illustration

More Galleries and Feature Pages

[[|120px|link=Hyogo Castle - First Prefectural Office]]

Hyogo Castle - First Prefectural Office

(28 photos)

Castle Profile
English Name	Hyogo Castle
Japanese Name	兵庫城
Alternate Names	Katagiri Jin'ya, Hyogo Jin'ya
Founder	Ikeda Tsuneoki
Year Founded	1580
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Historical Period	Edo Period
Features	stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Hyogo Station (JR Kobe Line), walk 15 minutes.
Hours	Park, open any time
Time Required	15 mins
URL	Castle Website
Location	Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture
Coordinates	34.66533, 135.17269
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2020
Contributor	Andrew A
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed, 2025
Admin Visits	October 11, 2025
Friends of JCastle
Jokaku Horoki
Shiro Meguri Fan
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