Hitoyoshi Castle Site 人吉城

Official explanation

The stone ramparts with original sections from the late sixteenth century, and the reconstructed parapets, battlements, and gates convey a sense of Hitoyoshi Castle as it appeared between 1589 and 1871. Visitors can explore the grounds, including the Ninomaru (“second enclosure”) complex where there was a palace for the family of the ruling lord. The Ninomaru grounds command unobstructed views of the city and the Kuma River.

The Sagara family ruled Hitoyoshi Kuma for 37 generations, from the late twelfth to late nineteenth century. The castle began as a hilltop fortress that relied on natural topography as its main means of defense and was modified over the centuries. The most significant changes were made by Sagara Nagatsune (1469–1518), the twentieth lord. Nagatsune commissioned defensive stone ramparts, added fortifications, and expanded the castle to connect it to the Hitoyoshi Kuma river.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.