Kochi Castle: The Only Castle with an Existing Main Keep and Tosa Castle Town

Kochi Castle: Japan's Only Famous Castle with Existing Main Enclosure Residence

Kochi Castle, built on Oteyama (44 meters elevation) in Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture, is the castle where Yamauchi Kazutoyo entered and developed in 1601, serving as the base of the Tosa domain. Also one of the 12 surviving original keeps, 15 structures including the keep, main enclosure residence (study hall), and main gate are designated as national Important Cultural Properties. It has Japan's premier characteristic as "the only castle with both the main enclosure residence and keep existing."

Keep and Main Enclosure Residence

Kochi Castle's keep (four layers, six floors) towers in white form at the summit of Castle Hill. The main enclosure residence where domain political affairs were conducted is in the second enclosure, with the study hall, corridors, and garden remaining in complete form — only at Kochi Castle among all of Japan. This "castle lord's living space" remaining until modern times is an extremely rare cultural property.

Otesujimotomachi and Kochi Sunday Market

Otesujimotomachi (main avenue) extends from Kochi Castle's main gate, the Otemon, with "Kochi Sunday Market" held every Sunday. Japan's largest class regular market with over 300 years of history, featuring agricultural products, folk crafts, plants, and foodstuffs, spreads for 700 meters.

Kochi Castle History Museum

The "Kochi Castle History Museum" adjacent to Kochi Castle opened in 2017. A facility for systematically learning about the Yamauchi family and Tosa domain's history and culture, with a collection of 67,000 pieces and Japan's premier domain administration document collection worth seeing.

Access

Approximately 10 minutes by streetcar (Tosa Electric Railway) from JR Kochi Station. Approximately 3 minutes on foot from Otesujimotomachi streetcar stop.