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Sources

Where the facts come from

Every factual claim on this site links to its source. This is the full list.

How we checked

Each fact was written alongside its source. Our build script stores the source text and, for every fact, checks that the key words and figures really appear in it. 198 of 198 checks passed when this site was last built (checked 3 Nov 2026). Where we couldn’t read a source, we left the claim out. We quote short phrases only, and never reproduce anyone’s photographs or plans.

Figures that change

Opening times, entry, access and repair work at castles change. We don’t give them here: check with the castle before you go.

What we leave out

This is a site about the history of Japanese castles and about spotting and visiting them. It isn’t a visitor guide with live opening times, prices or access advice: check with the site you’re visiting. Where a source gives an interpretation or says the answer is unknown, we say so rather than choose for it.

UNESCO World Heritage Centre (1)

Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) (11)

Japan Tourism Agency (2)

Matsumoto Castle official website (3)

Kumamoto Castle official website (2)

Osaka Castle Museum (1)

Nagoya Castle official website (4)

GOV.UK (Department for Education) (1)

When sources disagree

Where sources give different dates, or say something is an interpretation or unknown, we show all of it, with links, and say how we handle it.

Which castle keep is the oldest?

How we handle it: JNTO’s list of twelve says Matsumoto’s tower is said to be the oldest surviving one. JNTO’s Inuyama page says Inuyama is said to have the oldest, and a JNTO leaflet calls Inuyama one of the oldest. JNTO calls Maruoka a contender too. Matsumoto’s own website makes a narrower claim: the oldest surviving castle with five storeys outside and six floors inside. “Oldest” depends on what you count, and the sources say “said to be”.

When was Himeji Castle begun?

How we handle it: One JNTO page says the castle was first established in 1346; another says the first fortifications were built sometime in the 1400s. Both agree the castle you see today was completed in 1609.

How many buildings does Himeji have?

How we handle it: UNESCO’s short description says 83 buildings and its longer statement says 82. JNTO says over 80, and that 74 structures are Important Cultural Assets. Some of these count different things.

Is Himeji’s keep six storeys or seven?

How we handle it: The same JNTO page calls it a seven-story keep in one place and the six-story main keep in another. Japanese keeps often have a different number of floors inside from the storeys you see outside, so the count depends on how you count.

When was Matsumoto’s keep built?

How we handle it: The castle’s About page says 1594; its keep page gives 1593 to 1594 as the official opinion of Matsumoto City. The castle’s history goes back further, to Fukashi Castle in 1504.

When was Matsumoto named a National Treasure again after the war?

How we handle it: Both agree it was first named in 1936. The castle’s keep page says 29 March 1950; a Japan Tourism Agency text says 1952.

When did Kumamoto Castle begin?

How we handle it: JNTO says the Ideta clan laid the first foundations in 1467. The castle’s website dates the castle as it stands to Kato Kiyomasa, completed in 1607. These may describe different stages.

When did the earlier restorations at Kumamoto finish?

How we handle it: The castle’s website says the Honmaru Goten Great Hall was rebuilt for the 400th anniversary in 2007. JNTO says a decade of restorations finished in 2008.

When were Hideyoshi and Ieyasu born?

How we handle it: A JNTO page gives Hideyoshi’s dates as 1536 to 1598; the Japan Tourism Agency gives 1537 to 1598. Kumamoto Castle’s website gives Tokugawa Ieyasu’s dates as 1534 to 1616; JNTO’s Matsue page gives 1543 to 1616.

When did the Edo period end?

How we handle it: Two Nagoya Castle pages give the Edo period as 1603 to 1867 and 1603 to 1868. JNTO says Hikone’s lords ruled until the feudal era ended in 1867; UNESCO says Himeji was a feudal centre until 1868, when the Shogun fell. We show both years.