# Odawara Castle

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Reconstructed castle in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

Odawara Castle 小田原城 Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan Reconstructed keep of Odawara castle Site information Type Hirayama-style Japanese castle Open to the public yes Location Odawara Castle 小田原城 Show map of Kanagawa Prefecture Odawara Castle 小田原城 Show map of Japan Coordinates 35°15′03″N 139°09′13″E / 35.25083°N 139.15361°E / 35.25083; 139.15361 Site history Built 1447, rebuilt 1633, 1706 In use Kamakura period-1889 Battles/wars Siege of Odawara (1561) Siege of Odawara (1569) Siege of Odawara (1590)

In spring

Main gate

Several scenes of Odawara Castle, 2025

**Odawara Castle** (小田原城, *Odawara-jō*) is a reconstructed [Japanese castle](/source/Japanese_castle) in the [city](/source/Municipality_of_Japan) of [Odawara](/source/Odawara%2C_Kanagawa) in [Kanagawa Prefecture](/source/Kanagawa_prefecture), [Japan](/source/Japan).

The current [donjon](/source/Donjon) (keep) was constructed out of reinforced concrete in 1960 on a stone foundation of the former donjon, torn down from 1870–1872 during the [Meiji Period](/source/Meiji_Period). There has been fortifications at or around the castle's current site since the [Kamakura Period](/source/Kamakura_Period) (1185–1333).

The reconstructed Odawara Castle was listed as one of the [100 Fine Castles of Japan](/source/100_Fine_Castles_of_Japan) by the Japan Castle Foundation in 2006.

## History

Odawara was a stronghold of the Doi clan during the [Kamakura period](/source/Kamakura_period), and a fortified residence built by their collateral branch, the [Kobayakawa clan](/source/Kobayakawa_clan), stood on the approximate site of the present castle. After the [Uesugi Zenshū Revolt](/source/Uesugi_Zensh%C5%AB) of 1416, Odawara came under the control of the Omori clan of [Suruga](/source/Suruga_Province). They were in turn defeated by [Ise Moritoki](/source/H%C5%8Dj%C5%8D_S%C5%8Dun) of [Izu](/source/Izu_Province),[1] founder of the [Odawara Hōjō clan](/source/Later_H%C5%8Dj%C5%8D_clan) in 1495. Five generations of the Odawara Hōjō clan improved and expanded on the fortifications of Odawara Castle as the center of their domains, which encompassed most of the [Kantō region](/source/Kant%C5%8D_region).

During the [Sengoku period](/source/Sengoku_period), Odawara Castle had very strong defenses, as it was situated on a hill, surrounded by moats with water on the low side, and dry ditches on the hill side, with banks, walls and cliffs located all around the castle, enabling the defenders to repel attacks by [Uesugi Kenshin](/source/Uesugi_Kenshin) in [1561](/source/Siege_of_Odawara_(1561)) and [Takeda Shingen](/source/Takeda_Shingen) in 1569. In 1587, the defences of the castle were greatly expanded by the Odawara Hōjō in anticipation of the coming conflict with [Toyotomi Hideyoshi](/source/Toyotomi_Hideyoshi). However, during the [Battle of Odawara](/source/Siege_of_Odawara_(1590)) in 1590, Hideyoshi forced the surrender of the Odawara Hōjō without storming the castle through a combination of a three-month [siege](/source/Siege) and bluff. After ordering most of the fortifications destroyed, he awarded the holdings of the Odawara Hōjō to his leading general [Tokugawa Ieyasu](/source/Tokugawa_Ieyasu).

### Edo period Odawara Castle

After Ieyasu completed [Edo Castle](/source/Edo_Castle), he turned the site of Odawara Castle over to one of his senior retainers, [Ōkubo Tadayo](/source/%C5%8Ckubo_Tadayo), who reconstructed the castle in its present form on a considerably reduced scale, with the entire castle fitting inside what was once the third [bailey](/source/Ward_(fortification)) of the Sengoku period Hōjō castle . However, his successor [Ōkubo Takachika](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%C5%8Ckubo_Takachika&action=edit&redlink=1) was dispossessed by the shogunate in 1614. From 1619-1623, the castle was assigned to [Abe Masatsugu](/source/Abe_Masatsugu). After 1623, [Odawara Domain](/source/Odawara_Domain) reverted to *[tenryō](/source/Tenry%C5%8D)* status and a palace was constructed in the inner bailey to serve as a retirement home of Shōgun [Tokugawa Hidetada](/source/Tokugawa_Hidetada); however, Hidetada chose to remain in [Edo](/source/Edo) during this retirement. On his death, Odawara Domain was revived as an 85,000 *koku* holding for [Inaba Masakatsu](/source/Inaba_Masakatsu), the eldest son of [Kasuga no Tsubone](/source/Kasuga_no_Tsubone), the [wet nurse](/source/Wet_nurse) to [Shōgun](/source/Sh%C5%8Dgun) [Tokugawa Iemitsu](/source/Tokugawa_Iemitsu). Iemitsu visited Odawara Castle in 1634. Under the [Inaba clan](/source/Inaba_clan), the castle was extensively renovated. In 1686, the Inaba were transferred, and the [Ōkubo clan](/source/%C5%8Ckubo_clan) returned to Odawara, with the domain expanded in *[kokudaka](/source/Kokudaka)* to 103,000 *koku*. The castle suffered great damage during the [1703 Genroku earthquake](/source/1703_Genroku_earthquake), which destroyed most of the castle structures. The donjon was restored by 1706, but the rest of the castle took until 1721. Extensive damage occurred again during the 1782 Tenmei earthquake and once more during the 1853 Kaei earthquake. During the [Boshin War](/source/Boshin_War) of the [Meiji restoration](/source/Meiji_restoration), [Ōkubo Tadanori](/source/%C5%8Ckubo_Tadanori) permitted the pro-Imperial forces of the [Satchō Alliance](/source/Satch%C5%8D_Alliance) to pass through Odawara on their way to Edo without opposition.[2]

### Odawara Castle in the modern era

The new [Meiji government](/source/Meiji_government) ordered the destruction of all former feudal fortifications, and in compliance with this directive, all structures of Odawara Castle were pulled down from 1870–1872. In 1893, the stone base of the former donjon become the foundation for a [Shinto shrine](/source/Shinto_shrine), the Ōkubo Jinja, dedicated to the spirits of the generations of Ōkubo daimyō. In 1901, the [Odawara Imperial Villa](/source/Hayama_Imperial_Villa) was constructed within the site of the former inner and second bailies. The Imperial Villa was destroyed by the [1923 Great Kantō earthquake](/source/1923_Great_Kant%C5%8D_earthquake), which also caused many of the stone facing on the castle ramparts to collapse. Repair work was made to the stone walls from 1930–1931, but with very poor workmanship. In 1934, two of the remaining *[yagura](/source/Yagura_(tower))* (which had been destroyed in the 1923 earthquake) were restored, but on a half-scale.

In 1938, the castle site was proclaimed a National Historic Site,[3] with the area under historic preservation restrictions expanded in 1959, and again in 1976 based on further archaeological investigations.

In 1950, repairs were made to the stone base of the former donjon, which had been in ruins since the Great Kantō earthquake, and the area was made into the Odawara Castle Park, which included an art museum, local history museum, city library, amusement park and zoo. The three-tiered, five-storied donjon, the top floor of which is an observatory, was rebuilt in 1960 out of [reinforced concrete](/source/Reinforced_concrete) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the proclamation of Odawara as a city. However, the reconstructed donjon is not historically accurate, as the observation deck was added at the insistence of the Odawara City tourism authorities. Plans have been discussed since the late 1960s on a more accurate restoration of the central castle grounds to its late [Edo period](/source/Edo_period) format. These plans resulted in the reconstruction of the Tokiwagi Gate (常磐木門) in 1971, the Akagane Gate (銅門) in 1997, and the Umadashi Gate (馬出門) in 2009. The castle tower was remodelled from July 2015 until April 2016 to improve earthquake resistance and to modernise its exhibits. Odawara City government donated all entry fees on the day of the re-opening to Kumamoto City government, to be put towards repairs to [Kumamoto Castle](/source/Kumamoto_Castle) that was damaged in the [2016 Kumamoto earthquakes](/source/2016_Kumamoto_earthquakes).[4]

The reconstructed Odawara Castle was listed as one of the [100 Fine Castles of Japan](/source/100_Fine_Castles_of_Japan) by the Japan Castle Foundation in 2006.

## The remains of Later Hōjō clan era's Odawara Castle

		- Hachimanyama kokaku Higashi Compound

		- Dry moat between Honmaru and Ninomiya-jinja Shrine

		- Earthen wall of Honkuruwa(Shiroyama)

		- Earthen wall of Komine

		- Higashi moat of Komine1

		- Higashi moat of Komine2

		- Higashi moat of Komine3

		- Earthen wall and small compound between Higashi moat and Nakabori moat of Komine

		- Nakabori moat of Komine

		- Kōrinjiyama Nishi moat

		- Eathen wall of Sannomaru gaikaku Compound

		- Sannomaru gaikaku Compound

		- Earthen wall of Sōgamae (Renjōin part)

## Literature

- Benesch, Oleg and Ran Zwigenberg (2019). *Japan's Castles: Citadels of Modernity in War and Peace*. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 374. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781108481946](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781108481946).

- De Lange, William (2021). *An Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles*. Groningen: Toyo Press. p. 600. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-9492722300](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-9492722300).

- Schmorleitz, Morton S. (1974). [*Castles in Japan*](https://archive.org/details/castlesinjapan00schm/page/144). Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Co. pp. [144–145](https://archive.org/details/castlesinjapan00schm/page/144). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-8048-1102-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8048-1102-4).

- Motoo, Hinago (1986). *Japanese Castles*. Tokyo: Kodansha. p. 200 pages. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-87011-766-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-87011-766-1).

- Mitchelhill, Jennifer (2004). *Castles of the Samurai: Power and Beauty*. Tokyo: Kodansha. p. 112 pages. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [4-7700-2954-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/4-7700-2954-3).

- Turnbull, Stephen (2003). *Japanese Castles 1540-1640*. Osprey Publishing. p. 64 pages. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-84176-429-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-84176-429-9).

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Odawara Castle](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Odawara_Castle).

- [- Jcastle Profile](https://web.archive.org/web/20091211233506/http://www.jcastle.info/castle/profile/34-Odawara-Castle)

- [- Odawara Castle - Japanese Castle Explorer](http://www.japanese-castle-explorer.com/castle_profile.html?name=Odawara)

- [Odawara City home page](http://www.city.odawara.kanagawa.jp/)

- [Odawara Castle official website](https://odawaracastle.com/)(Japanese)

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Sansom2_1-0)** Sansom, George (1961). *A History of Japan, 1334-1615*. Stanford University Press. pp. 244–245. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0804705259](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0804705259). {{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#invalid_isbn_date))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["小田原城の歴史【小田原城街歩きガイド】"](http://www.scn-net.ne.jp/~yanya/history.htm). *www.scn-net.ne.jp*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20191205154032/http://www.scn-net.ne.jp/~yanya/history.htm) from the original on 2019-12-05. Retrieved 2019-12-31.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Agency for Cultural Affairs](http://bunka.nii.ac.jp/SearchDetail.do?heritageId=171805&isHighlight=true&pageId=46) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150212094419/http://bunka.nii.ac.jp/SearchDetail.do?heritageId=171805&isHighlight=true&pageId=46) 2015-02-12 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) (in Japanese)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Hibino, Yoko [Castles in Japan raise funds for quake-hit rival in Kumamoto May 2, 2016](http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201605020063.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160708194832/http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201605020063.html) July 8, 2016, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) *[Asahi Shimbun](/source/Asahi_Shimbun)* Retrieved June 29, 2016

v t e 100 Fine Castles of Japan by region Hokkaido Nemuro Peninsula Chashiato Goryōkaku Matsumae Tōhoku Hirosaki Ne Morioka Sendai Taga Kubota Yamagata Nihonmatsu Aizuwakamatsu Komine Kantō Mito Banna-ji Minowa Kanayama Hachigata Kawagoe Sakura Edo Hachiōji Odawara Tsutsujigasaki Kōfu Matsushiro Ueda Komoro Matsumoto Takatō Shibata Kasugayama Chūbu Takaoka Nanao Kanazawa Maruoka Ichijōdani Iwamura Gifu Yamanaka Sunpu Kakegawa Inuyama Nagoya Okazaki Nagashino Iga Ueno Matsusaka Kansai Odani Hikone Azuchi Kannonji Nijō Osaka Chihaya Takeda Sasayama Akashi Himeji Akō Takatori Wakayama Chūgoku Tottori Matsue Gassantoda Tsuwano Tsuyama Bitchū Matsuyama Kino Okayama Fukuyama Yoshida-Kōriyama Hiroshima Iwakuni Hagi Shikoku Tokushima Takamatsu Marugame Imabari Matsuyama Yuzuki Ōzu Uwajima Kōchi Kyushua Fukuoka Ōno Nagoya Yoshinogari site Saga Hirado Shimabara Kumamoto Hitoyoshi Funai Oka Obi Kagoshima Nakijin Nakagusuku Shuri a including Okinawa.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Odawara Castle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odawara_Castle) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odawara_Castle?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.