Uwajima Castle

Uwajima Castle, also known as Tsurushima-jō, is a historic hirayama-style fortress located in the city of Uwajima within Ehime Prefecture, Japan. Originally constructed between 1596 and 1601 by the renowned castle architect Tōdō Takatora, the structure was built using earth, stone, and wood. While it initially stood on the seashore with the ocean serving as a natural moat on three sides, extensive land reclamation projects over the centuries have shifted its position to the center of the modern city. The castle features a distinctive three-story wooden keep, or tenshu, which remains one of only twelve original historical keeps still standing in the entire country.

The site holds deep historical significance dating back to the Heian period when it served as a stronghold for pirates and later as a fortification during the rebellion of Fujiwara no Sumitomo. Throughout the Muromachi and Sengoku periods, the location changed hands among powerful warlords including the Saionji family, Chōsokabe Motochika, and forces loyal to Toyotomi Hideyoshi before its final major expansion. Following the Meiji Restoration in 1889, most of the castle complex was demolished, yet the main keep survived this period of destruction. Today, the remaining tenshu, a few auxiliary buildings, and various ruins are preserved as a National Historic Site and an Important Cultural Property of Japan.

Visitors to Uwajima Castle can explore the well-maintained grounds that showcase the resilience of traditional Japanese architecture. The survival of the original wooden keep makes it a rare and valuable example of military engineering from the early Edo period. Designated as a protected monument since 1937, the castle serves as a cultural landmark that connects the modern urban environment with its turbulent past as a strategic coastal defense point. It stands as a testament to the region's complex history of piracy, feudal conflict, and eventual stabilization under unified rule.