Yatsushiro Castle

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Yatsushiro Castle (Yatsushiro-jō) is the remains of a castle in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It is a hirajiro-style castle built on a plain. The castle was built in 1622 by Katō Masataka, after Mugishima Castle collapsed in 1619 due to a large earthquake, on orders from Katō Tadahiro. In 1632, Hosokawa Tadaoki entered the castle by order of the Tokugawa shogunate and lived there in the northern inner area, the kitanomaru. The castle was demolished in 1870, and today only ruins remain, including water moats and stone walls. In 2014 it was registered as a National Historic Site as part of the Remains of Yatsushiro Castles (with Furufumoto Castle and Mugishima Castle). It was listed as one of the Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles in 2017.