Waifu Castle

I took the bus C1-3 from bus stop Nihongiguchi(1 bus stop ahead of Kumamoto station), bound for Kikuchi Onsen. I got off at 'Shimin Hiroba mae' bus stop. The ride is +/- 1h20min. I took the bus C3-3 to go back to Kumamoto station. I wasn't sure which name to use for this castle, since it has severa

History

Kikuchi Takemasa built a castle on this hill in 1367. The Kikuchi clan was then the prominent clan in Higo province. During the Nanbokucho period, they supported the Southern court. Their power waned during the Sengoku period and they were replaced by the Kumabe clan.

When Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Kyushu, the Kumabe clan took his side. Hideyoshi appointed Sassa Narimasa as daimyo of Higo province. His governance sparked the Higo rebellion. The first to rebel were the Kumabe led by Chikanaga. Waifu castle was the first place to be assaulted by Sassa Narimasa. After 3 days, and a betrayal, the castle fell and Chikanaga fled to Jomura castle. Waifu castle was completely destroyed and never to be rebuilt.

Field Notes

I took the bus C1-3 from bus stop Nihongiguchi(1 bus stop ahead of Kumamoto station), bound for Kikuchi Onsen. I got off at 'Shimin Hiroba mae' bus stop. The ride is +/- 1h20min. I took the bus C3-3 to go back to Kumamoto station.

I wasn't sure which name to use for this castle, since it has several. The most used on the internet are Waifu-jo and Kikuchihon-jo. There is now a shrine, Kikuchijinja, in the honmaru (main bailey) and the other baileys are now Kikuchi park. There is a little museum on the shrine's grounds, containing a lot of artifacts about the Kikuchi clan. Of the castle itself there isn't that much to see, since the shrine transformed a lot of the castle site. The Kikuchijinja was built in 1870.

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Gallery

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  Kikuchijinja
• 

  Statue of Kikuchi Takemitsu
• 

  Main torii of Kikuchi shrine
• 

  terraced baileys and stairs towards Kikuchijinja
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  Gate of Kikuchijinja
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  Well
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  Explanation board
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  Inside the museum
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  Inside the museum
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  Statue of Kikuchi Taketoki

Castle Profile
English Name	Waifu Castle
Japanese Name	隈府城
Alternate Names	Kikuchihon-jo; Kumabe-jo; Moriyama-jo; Unjo-jo
Founder	Kikuchi Takemasa
Year Founded	1367
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Local Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features
Visitor Information
Access	1h20min bus ride from Kumamoto station
Hours	Shrine and museum: open year round from 09h00 to 17h00; free to access
Time Required	30 min
Location	Kikuchi, Kumamoto Prefecture
Coordinates	32.98774, 130.81597
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2025
Contributor	Furinkazan
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

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