The most famous castle in Japan is Himeji Castle, ranked #29 of 7,738 in the world — followed by Osaka Castle and Tokyo Imperial Palace.
The Castlemap atlas charts 165 castles, 3 fortresses, 11 palaces & châteaux and 118 ruins in Japan. They span more than 23 centuries — from Yoshinogari site (founded 400 BC) to Akasaka Palace (1909). Every one is plotted with its photo and story on the interactive castle map of Japan.
Map of castles in Japan
On the map they cluster thickest around Higashiōmi — 70 within a 100 km day trip, then Hikone (70) and Kōka (70). The northernmost is Nemuro Peninsula Chashi Sites, the southernmost Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu — about 2,515 km apart.
Planning a visit? Day-trip guides: Castles near Osaka · Castles near Tokyo · Castles near Kyoto · Castles near Kobe · Castles near Nagoya · Castles near Yokkaichi — and 14 more in the city index.
By region: Castles in Kansai · Castles on Kyushu · Castles on Shikoku.
See them on the map →When they were built
Of the 297 landmarks mapped in Japan, 247 carry a sourced founding date. Most were founded in the 16th century — 94 of them. 93 predate 1500 and 11 were built after 1700.





























































































































































































































