Kōriyama Castle, Japanese castle in Yamatokōriyama, Japan.
Kōriyama Castle is a ruined flatland castle in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture, with stone walls and moats remaining from its Edo-period form. The present honmaru keep platform was restored between 2013 and 2017, and a wooden bridge, Gokuraku-bashi, was rebuilt in 2021. The grounds now contain the Yanagisawa Shrine and several reconstructed gates and turrets.
The first record of a fort here dates to 1162, when the Kōriyama group built a moated earthwork. In 1580 Tsutsui Junkei moved his seat from Tsutsui Castle and began rebuilding it; his keep was finished in April 1583. From 1585 Toyotomi Hidenaga, Hideyoshi's brother, held it as the centre of a domain of over one million koku.
The castle grounds hold the Yanagisawa Shrine, founded in the honmaru to honour Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, father of the first Yanagisawa lord of Kōriyama. The cherry trees planted when the shrine was established are now among Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Sites, and the Oshiro Festival opens every year on 1 April.
The site is just a short walk from Yamato Koriyama Station on the Kintetsu Nara Line, making it easy to reach. Early spring is the busiest time when the cherry trees bloom, but the park remains open and walkable throughout the year.
On the north side of the keep base, look into the gaps between the stones: several Jizō statues were built into the wall upside down. They were taken from nearby temples and graves when stone was scarce, and locals still leave offerings before this section of wall.
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