Japan · 17th century
Akō Castle (赤穂城, Akō-jō) is a former flatland Japanese castle located in the city of Akō, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Built by the Asano clan in the Edo period, it was the center of Akō Domain in western Harima Province. Demolished in 1873 by the Meiji government, the castle was designated a National Historic Site in 1971, with the area under protection expanded in 2003. Within the castle grounds is the Nagayamon gate to the residence of Ōishi Kuranosuke, the karō of the domain under Asano Naganori. The house itself no longer exists, but its location has a separate National Historic Site designation. Both the Honmaru Garden and the Ni-no-Maru Gardens have been restored to an approximation of their appearance in the Edo period, and are collectively designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 2021.
Text adapted from “Akō Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Akō Castle ranks #1,505 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #79 of the 296 mapped in Japan. Founded 1661, it is older than 25% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 721 atlas entries founded in the 17th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 3,033 times in the last 60 days, more than 78% of the atlas. 2 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Himeji, 28 km away. It is one of the 69 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of Kansai. See how Japan compares in the castle statistics.
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