# Kameyama Castle

- **Country:** Japan
- **Location Text:** Kameyama, Mie

Kameyama Castle is a historic flatlands-style Japanese fortress located in Kameyama, northern Mie Prefecture, Japan. Originally founded in 1264 by Seki Sanetada to guard the Ise Province, the structure was relocated and comprehensively reconstructed in 1590 by Okamoto Munenori, a retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. During the Edo period, it served as the administrative headquarters for the Ise-Kameyama Domain under the Ishikawa clan. The surrounding castle town flourished as a vital post station on the Tokaido highway, connecting Edo with Kyoto. The site also bears the poetic alternate name Kochō-jō, meaning Powdered Butterfly Castle.

The castle possesses a unique and somewhat tragic history regarding its main keep. In 1632, the tenshu was accidentally demolished by Horio Torizane, who misinterpreted ambiguous orders from the shogunate intended for a different castle in Tanba Province. Permission to rebuild was strictly denied, leaving the complex without its central tower. Despite this loss, the castle remained significant as an official lodging facility for visiting shoguns traveling to the Imperial Court in Kyoto. A special palace was constructed within the main enclosure exclusively for the shogun, while the local daimyo were compelled to reside in the secondary bailey.

Following the Meiji Restoration, most remaining structures were demolished in 1873 due to government decrees. Today, the site is open to the public, though only a few original elements survive. The most notable extant structure is the Tamon-yagura watchtower, built in 1636 on the raised base of the former keep. This tower was designated a historic site by the prefectural government in 1953 and stands as a tangible reminder of the castle's strategic importance and architectural heritage.

![Photo of Kameyama Castle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/%E4%BA%80%E5%B1%B1%E5%9F%8E%E5%A4%9A%E8%81%9E%E6%AB%93.JPG)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kameyama_Castle_(Mie) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)