Kochi Castle
One Of Japan'S Twelve Original Castle Keeps; Important Cultural Property · Kochi, Kochi
One of only twelve castles in Japan whose main keep survives from the feudal era, and the only one where both the keep and the lord's palace in the inner enclosure still stand. It rises on a hill in the centre of Kochi, on the Pacific side of Shikoku. The castle was built in the early 1600s by Yamauchi Kazutoyo, who was given the province after 1600, and the Yamauchi ruled Tosa from here until the end of the Edo period. Most of the inner buildings burned in 1727 and were rebuilt in the 1740s and 1750s in the old style, including the keep and the Kaitokukan palace, whose tatami rooms can be visited. Stone walls, gates and turrets climb the hill. At its foot, the Otesuji Sunday Market, one of Japan's biggest street markets, has run for centuries, and the Hirome Market food hall serves katsuo no tataki, seared bonito. Kochi is the home of Sakamoto Ryoma and of the Yosakoi dance festival in August. It is far from the main routes, about 2.5 hours by train from Okayama.
1-2-1 Marunouchi, Kochi, Kochi, 780-0850, Japan
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the keep and palace are open daily from about 9 am to 5 pm, with last entry about 30 minutes before closing, and close over the New Year. The castle grounds are open longer. The Sunday market runs on Sunday mornings to mid-afternoon, except around the New Year and in bad weather. Hirome Market is open most days into the evening. The castle can close in typhoons. Confirm current times before relying on them.