Kakunodate Castle

Kakunodate Castle was an important regional fortification, and a small castle town was built around it in the late 1500s. The town was later moved to Kakunodate's current location in 1620, marking the founding date of Kakunodate Town, as well as the demolition of its castle due to a change in legislation by the shogunate.

Today, nothing on the hilltop site of Kakunodate's former castle indicates that it was once a center of regional power. Instead, an overgrown path leads up the steep hillside to a flattened plain marked only by a park bench. A panoramic view of Kakunodate town and the Hinokinaigawa River rewards those who make the short climb.