Arato Castle, Mountain castle in Yuzawa, Niigata Prefecture, Japan

Arato Castle is a mountain castle in Yuzawa, Niigata Prefecture, built on a ridge spanning the Oaza Kandachi and Oaza Mitsumata areas at an elevation of 789 metres. Its earthworks follow the natural ridgeline, and the site is designated a historic site of Niigata Prefecture.

The Uesugi clan built this fortress in 1578 to control and defend their regional territory. The site was abandoned by 1598 as the political situation in the region shifted and new defense strategies emerged.

The castle is linked to Higuchi Mondo-suke, an uncle of Naoe Kanetsugu, whose residence stood in Yuzawa; his former castle site is now Mondo Park, where a monument to the writer Kawabata Yasunari stands. Mondo-san Daitakuji, a temple in front of Echigo-Yuzawa Station, is associated with Higuchi, who died fighting at Arato Castle.

By car, take the Kan-Etsu Expressway to Yuzawa IC, about 10 minutes, turning left just before the Shibahara Tunnel on Route 17. By train, take a bus from Echigo-Yuzawa Station on the Joetsu Shinkansen, about 20 minutes, then walk about one hour from the Shibahara bus stop on Route 17. The castle site lies at an elevation of 789 metres.

The castle site lies at an elevation of 789 metres, spanning the Sodeyama area of Kandatsu and the Shimotōge area of Mitsumata in Yuzawa. It was designated a Niigata Prefecture historic site.