Kyoto Station (JR Tokaido Line); 90 mins bus
This is one of those castles where all the accounts and books and webpages do not do it justice and it actually exceeded my expectations. There is stonework scattered everywhere around the castle. It is mostly in crumbled conditions but there are a few fantastic stretches of stonework that are a must-see for serious castle fans. The best parts are actually not well marked and easy to overlook so take a good map or just pay attention and follow all the little trails around the honmaru until you find them! Apart from the major stone walls, if you look around the embankments you will see small remains of stonework all around the site. In the Honmaru there are remnants of large stone walls and earthen embankments in a square that indicate Akechi Mitsuhide probably intended to build a main keep here, but there is no evidence that one was ever constructed. Another 15-20 min hike along the western ridge is a satellite fortification, simply called the "western castle." This earthworks castle was just discovered in the 1990's. I've seen it listed both as part of Shuzan Castle and as an entirely separate satellite castle. This castle is a much simpler construction and has no stonework. There are several well defined baileys with earthen embankments and koguchi entrances. Some accounts make it sound like this is a difficult trail from Shuzan Castle, but if you've made it to Shuzan Castle anyway, the rest of the trail to the Western Castle is no more difficult. It's worth visiting if you have the time. It's not even depicted on most maps so try to find one with the West Castle (西城) if you intend to go. I happened to run into another castle fan at the site and between the two of us we figured out how to get there. It is not obvious but there is a small side trail back at the entrance to the Kosho Bailey (小姓曲輪), also called the West Bailey on some maps, that leads you around this bailey and out to the West Castle. This castle had been on my to-do list for a long time. Several reports about fallen trees, washed out trails and off limits areas put me off for awhile but it seems that much of the damage and obstacles have been cleared recently making the main compounds more accessible again as of November 2021. A couple of the extended baileys along ridges were still off limits, but as far as I can tell they are simple ridgeline baileys without much to see. The highlights are all open. I would still recommend good shoes and possibly a trekking pole to visit this castle. Some of the trails are very narrow and slippery. You can also get off the bus a stop or two earlier at the Woody Keihoku Service Area to get a map of the castle. It's only an extra 5-10 mins walk to the castle entrance. I had extra time before the next bus after I finished the castle and returned to this service area for a nice lunch while waiting for the bus.
Shuzan Castle
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