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Marugame Castle, located in Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture, is renowned for having the tallest stone walls in Japan.
In this article, I’ll share my personal travel experience of visiting Marugame Castle. Through photos taken along the path to the keep, I hope to give you a vivid sense of the castle’s atmosphere.
If you’re looking for a detailed guide to the castle’s highlights, refer to the article below:
Read more about Highlights of Marugame Castle
For directions on how to access Marugame Castle, see the article here:
Read more about How to Access Marugame Castle
Arriving at Marugame Castle, you’ll notice that the keep is situated at a high elevation—fitting for a castle known for the tallest stone walls in Japan.
Next to the gate is the Ote Ichinomon Gate.
Let’s step into Marugame Castle.
The moat’s surface is calm and undisturbed. Combined with the serene surroundings, time seems to slow down.
Ahead is the Ote Ninomom Gate.
The second gate of Marugame Castle follows the Koraimon style. With its commanding presence, it serves as a dignified entrance to the inner grounds.
Alongside the second gate, you’ll find narrow slits in the wall known as sama. The triangular ones were likely for matchlocks.
There’s also a small observation window that allowed guards to keep an eye on the outside while the gate remained closed.
Immediately after passing through the second gate, you’ll arrive at the first gate.
The Ote Gate served as the castle’s front entrance for welcoming guests. The stones are meticulously stacked, and the beams are massive and imposing.
Now, let’s step through the Ichinomon Gate—beyond here is the castle proper.
After passing through the Ote Gate, you’ll arrive at the spacious Ote Gate Plaza.
To the right is the path to the Bansho Nagaya and Marugame City Museum. To the left is the route toward the keep.
There is also a Marugame Castle Tourist Information Center at the plaza.
Tourist Information Center (left in photo)
Since Marugame Castle boasts the tallest stone walls in Japan, reaching the keep requires climbing to that height.
The Mikaeri-zaka Slope is one of the castle’s signature features.
Its name, “Mikaeri” (meaning “to look back”), comes from the urge to pause and turn around due to the steep incline.
Mikaeri-zaka is about 150 meters long with a 10-degree incline.
The steepness is hard to grasp from the base, but once you climb to the turning point and look down, it becomes very clear.
It’s clearly steep. It took me 2 to 3 minutes to get this far. I recommend taking your time and resting as needed.
I encountered a local wearing running gear who said they use this slope for health training—which shows how steep it is.
Pushing a stroller or wheelchair here is not recommended.
At this point, you haven’t yet finished climbing Mikaeri-zaka, but you’re already up close to the castle’s massive stone walls.
Some walls reach 20 meters high. Truly massive. Especially impressive is the beautiful curve known as the “Fan Slope”, where the angle steepens toward the top. This elegant shape, built without modern machines or computers, is a testament to the skill of Edo-period craftsmen.
Let’s continue the climb along the second half of Mikaeri-zaka.
Although the slope is tough, the size of the nearby stone walls is awe-inspiring.
Seeing them in person offers a whole different sense of scale.
Here’s a look from the top of the second half of Mikaeri-zaka. You can clearly see the steep gradient even from this upper vantage point.
I visited in the peak of summer and was drenched in sweat after the climb. Bring a towel and plenty of water. At the next plaza, San-no-Maru, there’s a water fountain, so take a break once you finish the slope.
At the top of Mikaeri-zaka, you’ll find San-no-Maru Plaza, a scenic open space with panoramic views.
At around 50 meters above sea level, you can see Mt. Iino (Sanuki Fuji), the Doki River, Sakaide’s industrial zone, and even the Seto Ohashi Bridge. The southeast corner also holds the former site of Tsukimi Yagura, once a beloved moon-viewing spot.
Although the best views await at the Honmaru (main keep), the East Turret Platform Ruins in San-no-Maru Plaza offer a satisfying reward after your climb. From here, you can see the whole of Marugame City.
Also located in San-no-Maru Plaza, opposite the East Turret site, are the Tsukimi Yagura Ruins, another great viewpoint.
The Kinno-hi Monument honors two historical figures from Marugame who were active during the late Edo and early Meiji periods.
Dohi Sanemitsu (Daisaku) and Muraoka Sojiro, both from Marugame, were patriots during the Meiji Restoration. This monument was built during the Taisho era to commemorate their dedication. Dohi later held key government posts, and Muraoka is remembered for his unwavering loyalty at a young age.
The view of the stone walls from San-no-Maru is also striking. These are the stone walls of Ninomaru, located beside the Enjukaku annex.
Now let’s continue toward the keep.
Passing through San-no-Maru brings you to Ninomaru Plaza, another open area featuring restrooms and a water fountain.
One of Ninomaru’s highlights is a well steeped in legend.
The Ninomaru Well is said to be the deepest in Japan, with a diameter of approximately 1.8 meters and a depth of around 65 meters. It’s located at the highest point within Marugame Castle grounds and still holds water today. A chilling tale accompanies this well.
According to the story:
When the castle lord proudly declared,
“Behold! No one can scale such towering walls!”
The builder Hasaka Juzaemon replied,
“I know a way to climb it,”
and demonstrated how by using an iron bar.
Fearing this technique might leak to enemies,
the lord lured Hasaka to the well…
It’s said the well still contains water. Peering into it feels as if you might get pulled in. When looking inside, be careful not to get “dragged in” by Hasaka Juzaemon’s lingering spirit.
Now, onward to the keep.
You’ve arrived at Honmaru, the central area of the castle. This spacious plaza contains the main keep and the remains of turrets.
The turret ruins in Honmaru serve as an observation deck offering breathtaking views over Marugame City.
Finally, face-to-face with the main keep—the effort to climb up here was absolutely worth it.
Marugame Castle’s keep is one of Japan’s 12 original surviving castle keeps, making it an important historic structure.
There’s also a viewing area behind the keep.
Seeing these towering stone walls in person was truly impressive.
Climbing the steep Mikaeri-zaka to reach the top was tough, but seeing the stone walls and the historic keep made it worth every step.
Castles are designed to be difficult to conquer, and Marugame Castle achieves this through its sheer elevation. It truly felt like an impregnable fortress.
Marugame Castle: the castle with the tallest stone walls in Japan.
Definitely worth a visit.
