Tanba Kameyama Castle

Kameyama Castle often gets a bad reputation for the Ohmoto religious organization that has made the site their own. For my second visit, it seemed much more open to visitors than my first visit. It had proper signs and the welcome center had some information and a video running about the castle. The

History

Akechi Mitsuhide built Kameyama Castle for his attacks on the Tanba area. In 1609, Tokugawa Ieyasu greatly renovated the castle for his attacks on Osaka Castle. Todo Takatora the greatest castle architect of his day directed the renovations and built Japan's first sotogata style main keep. The castle lasted until the Meiji Period when it was officially decommissioned. The real name of the castle is Kameyama Castle, but it is unofficially called Tanba Kameyama Castle to differentiate it from other castles called Kameyama Castle. Tanba is the old name of this area.

Field Notes

Kameyama Castle often gets a bad reputation for the Ohmoto religious organization that has made the site their own. For my second visit, it seemed much more open to visitors than my first visit. It had proper signs and the welcome center had some information and a video running about the castle. They still made you wear a visitor sticker while on the site but it felt less like trespassing than my first time through. Some of the castle walls were altered or rebuilt by the Omoto so not everything you see is truly original to the castle, but you can find some nice kokuin hidden in the walls which is a nice reminder of their origins.

Besides the castle proper there are several relocated structures around town so be sure to visit those sub albums too. The old clay walls

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Gallery

More Galleries and Feature Pages

Relocated Structures

(24 photos)

Kokuin Collection

(5 photos)

Castle Profile
English Name	Tanba Kameyama Castle
Japanese Name	丹波亀山城
Founder	Akechi Mitsuhide
Year Founded	1578
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Historical Period	Edo Period
Features	water moats, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Kameoka Sta (Sagano Line); 10 min walk
Hours	Private property, see notes below for details
Time Required	60 mins
URL	Castle Website
Location	Kameoka, Kyoto
Coordinates	35.01346, 135.58165
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2010
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2016, 2022
Admin Visits	December 28, 2016; October 5, 2022
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