Kōchi Castle

Kōchi Castle 高知城
Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan
Type	Hirayamashiro (hilltop castle)
Height	Five stories (tenshu)
Site information
Condition	All the buildings in the honmaru (innermost bailey) are original, dating from 1729 to 1753. Most of the other parts of the castle were torn down during the Meiji Restoration.
Site history
Built	1601 to 1611
Built by	Yamanouchi Kazutoyo
In use	1611 to 1868
Materials	Earth, stone, and wood

Kōchi Castle (高知城, Kōchi-jō^?) is a castle located in Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan.

Following the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Kōchi Castle was constructed in what was then the province of Tosa. It was built by Yamanouchi Kazutoyo, who took control of the province after the Tokugawa victory. The castle was constructed as part of the move from Urado to the more defensible Otakasa (alt. Odakasa) area.

Construction was begun in 1601 and was completed in 1611. Much of the original fortress burned down in 1727; it was reconstructed between 1729 and 1753 in the original style. The castle underwent major restoration from 1948 to 1959. Though no battles were fought at the castle, it is noteworthy because the castle is the original structure, and not a post-war replica. It is also the only castle in Japan to retain both its original tenshu, or keep, and its palace, the residence of the local Daimyo. In fact, it is the only castle to have all the original buildings in the honmaru, or innermost ring of defense, still standing.

Two previous attempts were made to build castles on Otakasa Hill. Both failed. The first attempt was by Otakasa Matsuomaru sometime during the late Heian or Kamakura periods. The second was in 1588 by the conqueror of Shikoku, . The area around the hill at this time was extremely swampy, due to the influx of alluvial sediments from the . Consequently, previous builders were never successful in establishing a permanent fortress on the site where Kōchi Castle stands today.

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