Yodo Castle

Yodo Castle was a Japanese castle in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, positioned at the confluence of the Kizu, Katsura, and Uji rivers to create a natural defensive location on the north bank of the Yodo River. The layout took advantage of the waterways as strategic barriers and controlled major trade routes passing through the region.

The castle appears in written records starting in 1478, when it served as an administrative center for the provincial guardians of Yamashiro. Over time it was rebuilt and incorporated structures from other fortifications that had been relocated and dismantled.

The castle holds significance as the birthplace of Yodo-dono, a prominent concubine of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and mother of his heir Hideyori. Her connection to this place remains part of local memory and continues to shape how people think about the site.

A stone monument at Myokyo-ji temple marks the former castle location and can be reached on foot in about 10 minutes from Yodo Station on the Keihan Line. Keep in mind that the area functions today as a residential and religious space rather than as an open historical site.

The castle was notable for reusing parts from other fortifications, including the keep from Yamato-Koriyama Castle, which was later struck by lightning and destroyed in 1756. This practice of relocating and repurposing defensive structures from abandoned sites was common during this period in Japan.