Toyama Castle was located in the center of present-day Toyama City.

To reach the ruins of Toyama Castle, take a tram on the Toyama City Line from Toyama Station to the International Conference Center. The ruins of Toyama Castle are just a stone's throw away from the International Stadium tram stop.

You will see a replica of the castle tower across the moat.

Toyama Castle did not have a castle tower during the Edo Age. Unfortunately, this tower is not a reconstruction of the original castle tower.

I crossed the earthen bridge over the moat and headed towards the main bailey. After crossing the earthen bridge, I entered the "Masukata-mon" Gate, the square enclosure, of the "Kurogane-gomon", Iron Gate. The square enclosure gate is a structure where a stone wall surrounds a square area, and two entrances are fortified with gates. A "Tamon" Turret, multi-story turret, sits atop the stone wall, designed to repel enemies who enter the enclosure.

There were also magnificent guard stones in the stone wall of the Iron Gate in the square enclosure.

After passing through the Iron Gate and entering the main bailey, I immediately visited the replica castle tower. The replica castle tower is a local history museum.

I looked out over the town from the observation deck of the castle tower. It seems that, except for the main bailey and the west bailey, the old castle grounds of Toyama Castle have been completely urbanized.

The pictures above show the view to the east from the observation deck of the castle tower. The green, tower-like building visible among the trees is an art museum.

After leaving the castle tower, I went from the main bailey towards the eastern "Demaru", outer bailey. This is the art museum I saw earlier from the castle tower.

To the left of the art museum, you will see a statue of MAEDA Masatoshi(1649-1706), the second feudal lord of the Toyama feudal domain.

MAEDA Masatoshi is said to have worked to enrich the finances of the Toyama domain by promoting land reclamation and industrial development.

Passing the art museum and heading east, I came across remnants of a stone wall that was probably from that time.

In the Edo Age, there was an inner moat on the east side of the art museum, and an earthen bridge connected it to the eastern outer bailey, so I think this is the stone wall of a gate that was located exactly at this spot.

Turning left from the stone wall, I found a well-maintained garden. Beyond the garden, a stone monument is located. It was a monument marking the site of the Chitose Palace, built in 1849 during the late Edo Age.

The Chitose Palace was built by the 10th lord of the domain, MAEDA Toshiyasu(1800-1859), after his retirement. It is said that many cherry trees were planted there.

Returning to the stone wall of the museum we had seen earlier, I headed south and found a magnificent gate. This gate is the Chitose Gate. It was the main gate of the Chitose Palace.

After the castle was abandoned in the Meiji Age, it was relocated within the city. But in 2008, it was moved to its current location.

The Chitose Gate is located southeast of the main bailey. A short distance south from the Chitose Gate leads to the southeastern corner of the main bailey of Toyama Castle.

The south side faces the inner moat, and the original stone wall remains at the southeastern corner of the main bailey.

How to get there
From Tokyo, take a "Kagayaki" or "Hakutaka" on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, to Toyama. From Osaka and Kyoto, take a " Thunderbird" to TSuruga and change to a "Hokuriku Shinkansen" train to Toyama. Take a tram on the Toyama City Line from Toyama Station to the International Conference Center. The ruins of Toyama Castle are just a stone's throw away from the International Stadium tram stop.

Other Historical Sites near by:
Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route
Ruins of Yasuda Castle
Toyama Bay
Yamacho Suji Historical District
Kanayamachi Historical District
ZuiryuJi Temple