Yonezawa Castle

Apart from the moat there is nothing to give you the feeling of being at a castle. The main attraction is obviously the Uesugi Shrine. The Uesugi Museum was also quite nice. I picked up some good castle materials in the gift shop and pamphlets for Tateyama Castle (Yamagata) at the museum too.

History

The first castle on this site dates back to 1238 when Nagai Tokihiro became lord of the Dewa region. The Nagai continued to rule for about 150 years until they were taken over by the Date. After Date Masamune defeated the Ashina in 1589, he moved his main castle to Kurokawa Castle and placed his son Date Munekiyo as castellan. Hideyoshi did not agree with this change and made Masamune move back to Yonezawa. In 1591, Hideyoshi ordered Masamune to Iwadeyama Castle and Yonezawa Castle was handed over to Gamo Ujisato. Uesugi Kagekatsu then became lord of the castle when Gamo's son was moved to Utsunomiya in 1597. After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1601, the Uesugi were stripped of most of their lands for except a small portion centered around Yonezawa from which they ruled until the Meiji Restoration.

Field Notes

Apart from the moat there is nothing to give you the feeling of being at a castle. The main attraction is obviously the Uesugi Shrine. The Uesugi Museum was also quite nice. I picked up some good castle materials in the gift shop and pamphlets for Tateyama Castle (Yamagata) at the museum too.

Loading map...

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Gallery

• 

  Main entrance
• 

  Water moat
• 

  Water moat
• 

  Moat and the Hishimon Bridge
• 

  Statue of Uesugi Kenshin
• 

  Moat
• 

  Moat
• 

  Moat
• 

  West entrance, not original
• 

  West entrance, not original
• 

  Kasuga Shrine
• 

  Moat
• 

  Hishimon Bridge
• 

  Uesugi Shrine
• 

  Uesugi Shrine
• 

  Uesugi Shrine
• 

  Embankment and foundation
• 

  Map

Castle Profile
English Name	Yonezawa Castle
Japanese Name	米沢城
Alternate Names	Uesugi-jinja, Maizuru-jo
Founder	Nagai Tokihiro
Year Founded	1238
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Next 100 Castles
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	water moats
Visitor Information
Access	Yonezawa Sta.; bus or 30 min walk
Hours	park, open anytime
Time Required	40 mins
URL	Castle Website
Location	Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture
Coordinates	37.90926, 140.10465
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2011
Admin Year Visited	2017
Admin Visits	November 3, 2017

2.50

(4 votes)

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