Kaneishi Castle

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Préfecture de Nagasaki

In the heart of Izuhara, the main town of Tsushima Island, Kaneishi Castle lies on flat ground at the southern foot of Mount Shimizu, along the small Kaneishi River. Founded in 1528 as the fortified residence of Sō Masamori, it was the political centre of the Sō clan, rulers of this frontier island between the Japanese archipelago and Korea, and the setting for diplomatic relations with the Korean embassies of the Edo period. Having no keep, Kaneishi entrusted that role to the gate tower of its main entrance, built in 1669 by Sō Yoshizane, destroyed by fire in 1813, rebuilt and then dismantled in 1919. The present two-storey gate tower, rebuilt in wood in 1990 from old photographs and models, welcomes visitors above the stone walls. Inside the enclosure, the pond garden of the Sō lords, rediscovered by excavations and restored between 1999 and 2004, is designated a Place of Scenic Beauty; together with Shimizuyama Castle and the Banshō-in mausoleum it forms a remarkable ensemble of Sō heritage.