Castles of Kyoto

This page is a placeholder for thematic maps and collections of castles found in Kyoto. I have several ideas for groupings to put here but it will take some time to visit them all!

Woodland Kyoto

Similar to Tokyo and Osaka, Kyoto is not just the city of Kyoto but it is also a prefecture that is much larger than the city itself with many other cities and municipalities. The Prefecture has recently developed a tourism campaign, called Another Kyoto (もう一つの京都), to encourage Kyoto travelers to explore other parts of Kyoto too. The prefecture has been divided into three regions, each with their own thematic advertising: Kyoto by the Sea, Woodland Kyoto and Kyoto Tea Country. Woodland Kyoto (Mori no Kyoto) is also an area very rich in castles and castle ruins so one of the themes for Woodland Kyoto is castle tourism.

For more information, see the Woodland Kyoto Castle Touring page. Gojoin (memorial cards of a castle visit) are available for each of these from nearby convenience stores or information centers. Since I started following the campaign they have made some additions to the list each year and focus efforts at castle expos on introducing these locations. I hope they continue to expand upon this campaign to bring attention to these lesser known castle sites.

The castles highlighted by the Woodland Kyoto campaign are listed below. So far all the castles I have visited are well preserved, have great features and signs and trails to make them easier to visit. Anything in this set should be worth your time to visit. The only problem is that some are very remote with few busses so if you're traveling by public transportation it can take a whole day to visit just one castle.

1. Waroji Castle^*
2. Tanba Kameyama Castle
3. Maruoka Castle
4. Yagi Castle
5. Kannosan Castle
6. Habu Castle
7. Shishiudo Castle
8. Sonobe Castle
9. Shuuchi Castle
10. Shuzan Castle
11. Nakahata Castle
12. Yamaga Jin'ya
13. Kanbayashi Castle
14. Obata Castle
15. Kagomori Castle^*
16. Izaki Castle
17. Fukuchiyama Castle

^*Waroji Castle and Kagomori Castle are currently off limits due to fallen trees and poor trails.

Newly added in 2024

1. Onigajo Castle
2. Higashi Goma Castle
3. Shiogai Castle
4. Kazukeyama Castle
5. Mikageyama Castle
6. Yamamoto Castle

Added in 2025

1. Shinjou Castle

Honorable Mention additions

1. Tanabe Castle
2. Shoryuji Castle
3. Yamazaki Castle

Passes of Higashiyama

The Higashiyama mountain area, also known as the "36 Peaks of Higashiyama" (東山三十六連峰) is a mountain range that divides Kyoto from Shiga and Lake Biwa. There were three main passes over these mountains that were used for both commerce and for the movement of military troops. As such there were also castles and outposts built along these trails at different times. These passes are outlined below with some of the key castles along the routes.

Shiratori-goe Pass (Ichijojiyama Castle, Enryakuji Ichijoji Castle, Tsubokasayama Castle (Shiga)) is the northernmost of the main passes and connects the Ichijoji area of Kyoto to Anou on the Shiga side. It was also used as a staging area for the Asakura/Asai attacks on Kyoto.

Yamanaka-goe Pass (Shogunyama Castle, Yamanaka Castle, Usayama Castle (Shiga)) is the next and probably easiest of the three main passes to cross. From the Kyoto side the Hieizan Driveway follows the Yamanaka-goe up to the Hieidaira Plain.

Nyoi-goe Pass (Nyoigatake Castle, Haiyama Castle) is the southernmost and connects Otsu to Kitashirakawa as well . It has a nice full hiking trail from Miidera on the Shiga side to just south of Ginkakuji on the Kyoto side.

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