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

Hikuma Castle was first built on this site around 1514 by a vassal of the Imagawa clan, Inoo Noritsura. In 1568, Tokugawa Ieyasu attacked Sakai Tadatsugu and took control of the castle. Ieyasu started construction of Hamamatsu Castle in 1570 and Hikuma Castle became a minor extension of its vast territory. In 1577 Ieyasu renamed his new castle Hamamatsu Castle. Legend says, the name was changed from "Hikuma" because the characters give the impression of "pulling a horse along" which you might do after losing a battle. Ieyasu spent 17 years here and engaged in some of his most well known battles from this castle before moving to Sunpu Castle in 1586.

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 site has been vastly developed over the last few years including the reconstruction of the Honmaru gate. In one of the photos below you will also see an artists' illustration that contains another single level watchtower and multiple castles walls. There are tentative plans to rebuild these as well.

Loading map...

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
Loading map... {"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"auto","height":"200px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"Castlemarker.png","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":6,"defzoom":14,"layers":["CartoDB.Positron"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":34.71174,"lon":137.72479,"icon":"../images/1/1e/Castlemarker.png"}],"imageoverlays":null}
Admin
Added to Jcastle	1999
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	1999, 2020
Admin Visits	May 1999, January 12, 2020
Friends of JCastle
Malcolm Fairman Photography - Hamamatsu Castle

3.05

(21 votes)

Loading comments...