# Japan's 12 original castle keeps

Only twelve castle keeps built in the Edo period or earlier survive in Japan. Twenty were still standing in the 1940s, but eight were lost, mostly in the war. From Hirosaki in the north to Kōchi in the south; five of them – Matsumoto, Inuyama, Hikone, Himeji and Matsue – are National Treasures.

- 158 votes · 12 items
- Apr 13, 2020 · 田中 結衣
- https://even.best/en/l/5411/japan-s-12-original-castle-keeps

## Top 12

1. **Hirosaki Castle** (23 · ▲23 ▼0) — Hirosaki, Aomori. Keep built in 1810. The keep is an Important Cultural Property. The northernmost of the surviving keeps.
2. **Matsumoto Castle** (21 · ▲22 ▼1) — Matsumoto, Nagano. Keep built in the 1590s. The keep is a National Treasure.
3. **Maruoka Castle** (15 · ▲15 ▼0) — Sakai, Fukui. Keep built in the Kan'ei era (1624–1644). The keep is an Important Cultural Property.
4. **Inuyama Castle** (12 · ▲14 ▼2) — Inuyama, Aichi. Keep built in 1596. The keep is a National Treasure.
5. **Kōchi Castle** (12 · ▲12 ▼0) — Kōchi. Keep built in 1747. The keep is an Important Cultural Property.
6. **Bitchū Matsuyama Castle** (11 · ▲12 ▼1) — Takahashi, Okayama. Keep built in 1681. The keep is an Important Cultural Property. The only mountaintop castle among the surviving keeps.
7. **Hikone Castle** (10 · ▲11 ▼1) — Hikone, Shiga. Keep built in 1606. The keep is a National Treasure.
8. **Uwajima Castle** (8 · ▲9 ▼1) — Uwajima, Ehime. Keep built in 1666. The keep is an Important Cultural Property.
9. **Himeji Castle** (6 · ▲7 ▼1) — Himeji, Hyōgo. Keep built in 1608. The keep is a National Treasure. In 1993 one of Japan's first UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
10. **Matsuyama Castle** (6 · ▲6 ▼0) — Matsuyama, Ehime. Keep built in 1852. The keep is an Important Cultural Property. The most recent of the surviving keeps.
11. **Matsue Castle** (5 · ▲8 ▼3) — Matsue, Shimane. Keep built in 1607. The keep is a National Treasure.
12. **Marugame Castle** (3 · ▲6 ▼3) — Marugame, Kagawa. Keep built in 1660. The keep is an Important Cultural Property.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.