Mihara Castle

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Préfecture de Hiroshima

At the mouth of the Nuta River, facing the islands of the Seto Inland Sea, Mihara Castle was conceived as a maritime fortress. Kobayakawa Takakage, third son of Mōri Motonari and commander of the clan's fleet, began building it around 1567 by joining two islets, Ōshima and Kojima, with landfill. At high tide the whole complex seemed to float on the water, hence its nickname "Floating Castle" (Ukishiro). At its height it extended about 900 m east to west and 700 m north to south, with three enclosures, 32 turrets and 14 gates, and integrated a naval harbour into its defences. Passed to the Fukushima and then the Asano, Mihara remained one of the few secondary castles allowed in the Hiroshima domain after 1615. The modern town has largely covered the site: Mihara Station now cuts through the former main enclosure, and the great keep platform, surrounded by its moats, can be reached directly from the station. Protected as a National Historic Site among the "castle sites of the Kobayakawa clan", it is listed among the Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles.