Château de Wakabayashishiro

Château de Wakabayashishiro is a Japanese castle in Sendai with rectangular layout featuring moats and earthen fortifications. The grounds now house a modern prison facility, though sections of the original defensive structures remain visible from outside.

Date Masamune built this castle in 1628 as his retirement residence, but it was abandoned after his death in 1636. The site then lost its original purpose and eventually served different functions over time.

The site became a medicinal herb garden during the Edo period, where different plants were grown for healing purposes. This transformation shows how the location shifted its role and became important for local communities in a new way.

You can view the site from outside the perimeter fence, observing the preserved moats and earthen walls that surround the prison grounds. Plan enough time to walk around the area and examine the visible remains carefully from different angles.

Archaeological digs from 1984 to 2004 uncovered remains of the original castle structures buried beneath the modern prison complex. These findings show that significant parts of the historical site persist below the surface despite the changes above.