Kokura Castle


Kokura Castle in Kitakyushu, Japan was built by Hosokawa Tadaoki in 1602. It was the property of the Ogasawara clan between 1632 and 1860.
The castle burnt down from a fire in 1837, with parts of it rebuilt in 1839. The castle burnt down again in 1866 during the war between the Kokura and Chōshū clans.
Mori Ōgai was based at the castle at the turn of the 20th century, when it was a military base.
The keep was reconstructed in 1959, and the castle was fully restored in 1990. Matsumoto Seicho Memorial Museum and castle garden were opened in 1998. The old Japanese-style pre-Brunton lighthouse from Shirasu is in the castle grounds.

Location

The castle is about a ten-minute walk from JR Kyushu's Kokura Station.
The North side of the moat is next to the Riverwalk shopping complex.

Attractions

The keep contains a modern folkloric museum and admission is charged to the keep, garden and Matsumoto Seicho Memorial Museum. A joint ticket to the three attractions costs 700 yen.
The keep is not an accurate reconstruction. When it was reconstructed in 1959, the designers opted for a more aesthetically appealing design instead of faithfully rebuilding the simpler structure that once stood on the site.
The Castle was listed as one of　the Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles in 2017.

Literature