Wakayama Castle

The origin of the castle started in 1585, Hashiba Hideyoshi (later Toyotomi Hideyoshi) subjugated Kishu teritory (the area now known as Wakayama) and he ordered his younger brother, Hidenaga, to build a castle on Mt.Torafusu which is at a downstream of Kinokawa-river. Later, a vassal of the Hashiba family, Kuwayama Shigeharu was placed in charge of the castle. After the Battle of Sekigahara, Asano Yoshinaga became lord of the castle and he started building a tower followed by an interconnected corridor. He built residences in the area now known as Honmaru, Ninomaru, and Nishinomaru while building a castle town. In 1619, Yorinobu, the 10th son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, inherited the castle.

Viewing from the white three-tiered castle tower, you can see running water of Kinokawa-river known as Class A river in Japan and a city built around there, right in front of you. Furthermore, one of the few remains in the former feudal domain time, Okaguchimon and a variety of worth seeing lineups. These include Ichinohashi and Otemon, and Nishinomaru-Teien garden, which is one of the well known scenic spots, is especially magnificent. This garden is Chisen Kaiyu style, a style of garden that features a path around a pond and vividly retains the atmosphere of a garden of feudal lords in the early Edo period, and it’s characteristic is that the slope of Mt.Torafusa was used effectively. A garden is said to be designed by Ensyu Kobori or a chief retailer of Asano family, Souko Ueda, and there are some suggestions too.

Sukiya, a small room for the tea ceremony, designed in Shoin-siki style is located in the garden designed in the Edo period and you can imagine lords enjoying the tea ceremony in the old times.