Hamamatsu Castle

Hamamatsu Castle sometimes gets a bad reputation for the poorly reconstructed keep that doesn't even fit the stone foundation, but it should be included among the must-see castles of Japan. The rough cut stone walls (nozura-zumi) are quite magnificent. They are a much older style than what you see a

History

A castle was first built on this site around 1532 by a vassal of the Imagawa clan. This castle was called Hikuma-jo. In 1568 Tokugawa Ieyasu conquered the castle and in 1570 he moved his permanent headquarters here from Okazaki-jo . In 1577 Tokugawa renovated and expanded the castle, renaming it Hamamatsu-jo. Ieyasu spent 17 years here and engaged in some of his most well known battles from this castle.

While the main keep of Hamamatsu-jo is a reconstruction, the stone palisade it stands on is the original one built by Tokugawa Ieyasu. This palisade is built in an old style called nozura-zumi which refers to the way the stones are fit together.

Field Notes

Hamamatsu Castle sometimes gets a bad reputation for the poorly reconstructed keep that doesn't even fit the stone foundation, but it should be included among the must-see castles of Japan. The rough cut stone walls (nozura-zumi) are quite magnificent. They are a much older style than what you see at castles like Osaka Castle, Nagoya Castle, or Edo Castle and the amount of such remaining stone work is impressive. The hachimaki (headband) style stone walls (stone work just around the top of an embankment or hillside, reminiscent of a headband) around the main compound are also a unique feature.

The reconstructed gate is

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Gallery

Castle Profile
English Name	Hamamatsu Castle
Japanese Name	浜松城
Alternate Names	Hikuma-jo
Founder	Tokugawa Ieyasu
Year Founded	1570
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	Reconstructed main keep
Designations	Next 100 Castles, Local Historic Site
Historical Period	Edo Period
Main Keep Structure	3 levels, 3 stories
Year Reconstructed	1958 (concrete)
Features	main keep, gates, stone walls, walls
Visitor Information
Access	Hamamatsu Station (Tokaido Honsen Line), 20 mins walk, or 10 mins bus ride
Hours	8:30a.m. - 4:30p.m.; Closed Dec.29-31; 200 yen
Time Required	90 mins
URL	Castle Website
Location	Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture
Coordinates	34.71174, 137.72479
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	1999
Admin Year Visited	1999, 2020
Admin Visits	May 1999, January 12, 2020

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