Uwajima Castle, Japanese castle in Uwajima, Japan.

Uwajima Castle is a Japanese fortress in Uwajima, Japan, perched on a forested hill above the city and recognized as one of twelve remaining original structures from the Edo period. The three-story wooden keep sits within a network of stone walls that follow the natural contours of the terrain, creating multiple terraced levels across the hillside.

Todo Takatora built the fortress in 1601 to control Uwajima Bay and secure the region during the early Edo period. The Date clan later took over and managed the site for generations until the feudal system ended in the 19th century.

The keep's interior preserves a rare feature: sliding shoji doors set inside a corridor, found in no other surviving keep. A high threshold recalls the former tatami flooring, and the windows are arranged in a pentagon for easier viewing. The ridge tiles and gable ornaments carry the Date family crests, the nine-star kuyo, Uwajima bamboo, and three vertical strokes.

From JR Uwajima Station it is about a 15-minute walk to the trailhead, then roughly 20 minutes on foot to the keep. The route climbs stone steps and slopes, so sturdy shoes help. A stamp for the Japan Top 100 Castles rally is placed inside the keep.

The outer moats and walls formed a pentagon, so attackers expecting a square layout faced a blind angle. A shogunate spy's secret report miscounted the perimeter as "four sides, fourteen chō," giving rise to the legend of the "empty angle" (akikaku no nawa).