Maruoka Castle

History

Maruoka-jo was Built by Shibata Katsutoyo, nephew of Shibata Katsuie, in 1576. The castle had 17 lords until the Meiji Restoration including Aoyama Shurinsuke, Honda Narishige, and Arima Kiyosumi. The keep was levelled by the Fukui earthquake of 1948, but the keep was rebuilt using 80% of the original materials in 1955. The keep has three stories with an original wood interior and stone-tile roof, and is located on a hill in the middle of a rather large plain. Both the size of the keep and interior are very similar to that of Inuyama castle. At the bottom of the hill there is a small history museum with displays related to the lords of Maruoka castle (admission included in castle ticket). Like both Inuyama and Matsumoto, Maruoka claims to have the oldest remaining keep in Japan. It is designated Important Cultural Property.(history by Sasha B.)

Gallery

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  Maruoka Castle main keep
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  maruoka castle main keep
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  Maruoka Castle interior
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  second floor interior
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  Maruoka Castle interior stairs
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  stone walls

Castle Profile
English Name	Maruoka Castle
Japanese Name	丸岡城
Alternate Names	Kasumiga-jo
Founder	Shibata Katsutoyo
Year Founded	1576
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	Original main keep
Designations	Top 100 Castles, has Important Cultural Properties
Historical Period	Edo Period
Main Keep Structure	2 levels, 3 floors
Artifacts	main keep
Features	main keep, stone walls, walls
Visitor Information
Access	Awara-onsen Sta. (Hokuriku Line), Keifuku bus to Hon-maruoka and get off at Shiro-iriguchi (20mins, buses hourly). Hourly buses (Keifuku) also run from Fukui station
Hours
Time Required
URL	Castle Website
Location	Sakai, Fukui Prefecture
Coordinates	36.15236, 136.27211
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2006
Admin Year Visited	2006
Admin Visits	June 13, 2006

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