Chihaya Castle

Among castle fans, Chihaya Castle often gets a bad reputation. It’s on the Top 100 Castles of Japan list despite having few visible remains, and it requires a long bus ride from Osaka and a torturous climb up seemingly endless stairs. For years I put off visiting for exactly those reasons, but i

History

Chihaya Castle was built in 1332 by Kusunoki Masashige during the Genko War, when Emperor Go-Daigo challenged the Kamakura shogunate. It became famous for withstanding repeated assaults thanks to Masashige’s clever guerrilla tactics — rolling boulders, setting log traps, and even using “dummy” warriors to make it look like he had more defenders than he really did. The shogunate army eventually gave up trying to take it.

Field Notes

Among castle fans, Chihaya Castle often gets a bad reputation. It’s on the Top 100 Castles of Japan list despite having few visible remains, and it requires a long bus ride from Osaka and a torturous climb up seemingly endless stairs. For years I put off visiting for exactly those reasons, but in the end, Chihaya was worth the visit. Maybe it's not Top 100 quality, but the connection to Kusunoki Masashige and visits to some nearby castles (Kami Akasaka Castle and [Shimo Akasaka Castle]]) made it a worthwhile day out.

First, the hike isn’t bad at all if you avoid the endless stairs. A well maintained hiking trail up to Mt. Kongo bypasses them. After about 15 minutes there’s a clearly marked side path that cuts over to the castle. Second, there’s actually more to see than many people give it credit for. The second, third, and fourth baileys are now occupied by the temple, but behind it the main bailey still shows some yamajiro features: a dry moat, carved terraces, kirigishi slopes, and even some small koshiguruwa side baileys hidden in the woods. The stone wall you see there isn’t original, but the raised ground likely supported a lookout or yagura foundation.

Be aware that some old materials still feature the Kongosan Ropeway, a side attraction that carried visitors to the top of the mountain for great views and hiking trails. It was closed and dismantled in 2022 due to deteriorating equipment.

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Gallery

stairs route

Castle Profile
English Name	Chihaya Castle
Japanese Name	千早城
Founder	Kusunoki Masashige
Year Founded	1332
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Top 100 Castles, Top 100 Mountaintop Castles, National Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Main Keep Structure	None
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Bus from Kawachinagano Station or Tondabayashi Station
Hours	Always open/free
Time Required	1.5 hours
URL	Castle Website
Location	Osaka, Osaka
Coordinates	34.4162, 135.65294
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2014
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2025
Admin Visits	Feb 14, 2025
Friends of JCastle
Shiro Meguri Fan
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