Yamagata Castle
山形城
The original castle was constructed in 1357 by Kaneyori Mogami but the castle was greatly expanded by Yoshiaki Mogami nearly 200 years later. The castle contained a palace building and other structures protected by multiple walled sections with turrets surrounded by a moat. It was the largest castle in the Tohoku region, but it never had a donjon. Yoshiaki also built up the surrounding area as a respectable castle town, both expanding it and improving the existing infrastructure. He is sometimes called the "founder" of Yamagata City, even though people had been living there long before his lifetime. None of the original structures survive today however, efforts are ongoing to rebuild each part of the former castle. Reconstructions have been made out of wood to stay true to the original castle. You can wander the castle grounds and enter the Ninomaru East Gate building to learn a bit more about the castle. The JR Ou Main Line travels directly along the moat past the Ninomaru Gate. It's fun for trainspotters to get pictures of the trains with the castle but the downside is that it limits the angles from which you can view it. The site is listed as one of the top 100 castles in Japan.
- Hours
- Closed · opens 5 am
Weekly hours
Mon 5 am–10 pm Tue 5 am–10 pm Wed 5 am–10 pm Thu 5 am–10 pm Fri 5 am–10 pm Sat 5 am–10 pm Sun 5 am–10 pm - Price
- Free
Listing from Wikivoyage: Yamagata, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.