How to Visit Inuyama Castle | Honmachi-dori Route, the Keep, Urakuen Garden, and Relocated Gates
“I want to visit Inuyama Castle, but I’m not sure how to plan the route.” If that sounds familiar, this guide lays out a clear one-day itinerary: walk from Inuyama Station (IY15) along Honmachi-dori, visit the National Treasure keep, continue to Urakuen Garden and the Joan tea house, and see the relocated castle gates in a logical order.
The walk from Inuyama Station (IY15) to Inuyama Castle takes about 20 minutes via Honmachi-dori. The only moment where people tend to hesitate is where to enter Honmachi-dori. Remember this: Inuyama Station (IY15) West Exit → Honmachi intersection → turn right, north, onto Honmachi-dori. Once you have that, the route is easy.
The 2026 Taiga drama “Toyotomi Brothers!” depicts the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute. At that moment in history, the strategic prize Hideyoshi was determined to secure was Inuyama Castle. Stand on the top floor of the keep and look down toward the Kiso River, and you will feel why he cared so much about this castle.
This page explains the following in order.
- How to turn onto the Honmachi-dori route without getting lost, plus how to estimate travel time including detours and food stops.
- What to know before entering Inuyama Castle: shoes off inside the keep, luggage rules, photography and livestreaming, possible entry restrictions during crowded periods, and the timing of admission-fee changes.
- How to plan Urakuen Garden and Joan around opening hours, regular closures, and maintenance closures.
What makes Inuyama Castle fascinating is not only the beauty of the keep. It also remained a strategic stronghold while changing its role from the Warring States period to the Edo period. Walk with each era’s purpose in mind, and the same scenery begins to look different. *Historical interpretations vary.
As one of Japan’s 12 original surviving keeps and 5 National Treasure castles, Inuyama Castle deserves more than a direct dash to the gate. Follow the Honmachi-dori route through the castle town: as you pass rows of old merchant houses, the keep slowly reveals itself, until the National Treasure fills your view. It is an experience that moves you more deeply than any photo can.
📋 Admission, Access, and Estimated Time at a Glance
💴 Admission until February 28, 2026
Adults 550 yen / Elementary and junior high school students 110 yen
💴 Admission from March 1, 2026
Adults 1,000 yen / Elementary and junior high school students 200 yen
⏰ Opening hours
9:00–17:00, final admission 16:30
🚫 Closed
December 29–31, subject to operational changes
🚃 Meitetsu Nagoya Station (NH36) to Inuyama Station (IY15)
About 25 minutes or more by Meitetsu, depending on train type and time of day
🚶 Inuyama Station (IY15) to Inuyama Castle
About 20 minutes on foot via West Exit → Honmachi-dori → castle hill
Add 10–40 minutes for detours and street-food stops
🕐 Overall time estimate: Keep only about 2 hours / Keep + Urakuen about 3–4 hours / All spots in this guide about 5–6 hours
- No shoes inside: Remove your shoes at the keep entrance. Shoe bags may be provided, but bringing your own is recommended.
- Luggage: Large bags cannot be brought into the keep. Check lockers or storage options in advance.
- Crowds: Entry may be restricted depending on conditions. Leave extra time, especially near final admission.
- Steep stairs: Take care if you have concerns about your legs, knees, or balance. Use the handrails.
- Footing: The castle hill has stone steps and slopes. It can be slippery in rain, so wear shoes with good grip.
- Japan 100 Famous Castles stamp: Located at the management office on the second floor of the entrance gate, inside the paid area. Location may change.
- Photography: Personal photography is allowed. Please refrain from livestreaming video.
Paid area: The castle admission fee is required beyond the ticket office at the Honmaru Kurogane Gate, the reconstructed gate that also houses the management office, and for the section leading up into the keep. Before that point, the castle hill, Haritsuna Shrine, and the area around Matsunomaru can be explored free of charge.
🗺 Route from Meitetsu Nagoya Station (NH36) to Inuyama Station (IY15) by Meitetsu
🗺 Walking route from Inuyama Station (IY15) to Inuyama Castle via Honmachi-dori
- Exploring Inuyama Castle by the Honmachi-dori Route — All Spots
- Relocated Inuyama Castle Matsunomaru Rear Gate — Jomanji Temple Gate
- Otemon Masugata Gate Site
- Castle and Town Museum — Inuyama Cultural History Museum Main Building
- Ote Second Gate Site — Yarai Gate
- Matsunomaru Gate Site
- Kozutsu Yagura — Reconstructed Turret
- Honmaru Kurogane Gate — Reconstructed Gate and Management Office
- Osugi-sama
- Castle Keep
- Inuyama Castle Shimizu Gate Site
- Urakuen Garden
- Relocated Inuyama Castle Uchida Gate — Zuisenji Temple Gate
- Gates Relocated from Inuyama Castle — 7 Surviving Nearby Sites
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Pages
Exploring Inuyama Castle by the Honmachi-dori Route — All Spots
Relocated Inuyama Castle Matsunomaru Rear Gate — Jomanji Temple Gate
Sold off for 73 yen after the castle was abandoned, this gate still stands as a temple gate and a memory of the castle.
The rear gate of Inuyama Castle’s Ninomaru and Matsunomaru area was designed as an escape route in times of emergency. After the Meiji Restoration, when the castle was abandoned, the gate was auctioned off and moved to Jomanji Temple in 1877. Built in the late Edo period, roughly 1830–1867, it is a yakui-mon gate: simple and restrained, yet powerful, preserving the dignity of its former role as a castle gate.
📷 Additional Photos
📜 Historic Data
| Built | 1830–1867, late Edo period |
|---|---|
| Builder | Probably the Naruse lords of Inuyama |
| Structure | Gabled, tiled, one-bay yakui-mon gate with side walls |
| Status | Extant as Jomanji Temple Gate; registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in 2007 |
👀 Highlights
- Former castle gate: The gate preserves the atmosphere of Inuyama Castle within an active temple setting.
- Design: Plain but dignified yakui-mon construction, with heavy roof timbers and solid posts.
- Seasonal note: Early-summer greenery frames the old gate beautifully.
📌 Trivia
- Tradition says the gate was sold for only 73 yen after the Meiji Restoration.
- Naruse-family crests and protective roof ornaments can be seen on the gate.
- Naruse Masanari received Inuyama Castle from Tokugawa Hidetada in 1617.
🗺 Address
Aichi, Inuyama, Inuyama Nishikoken 281
🚶 Access
16 minutes on foot from Meitetsu Inuyama Station (IY15)
⏳ Suggested visit
Quick: 5 min / Slow: 15 min
💴 Admission
Free
Map: Inuyama Station (IY15) to Jomanji Temple Gate.
Otemon Masugata Gate Site
The imposing traces of Inuyama Castle’s front entrance, brought back to light by the 2021 excavation.
This is the former site of Inuyama Castle’s main gate and square defensive entrance. After the former welfare hall was demolished in 2021, excavation confirmed well-preserved traces of the dry moat and earthworks that formed the masugata. The area is now being improved, with stone markers and information boards installed. It was added to the National Historic Site “Inuyama Castle Site” in an official gazette notice dated September 18, 2025.
📷 Additional Photo
📜 Historic Data
| Built | Unknown; likely early Edo period |
|---|---|
| Structure | Flat masugata-style defensive entrance with an L-shaped approach |
| Research | Excavated in 2021 after the former welfare hall was removed |
| Status | Remains of moat and earthworks; added to the Inuyama Castle Site designation in 2025 |
👀 Highlights
- Interpret the former dry moat and earthworks by comparing the plaza with the information board.
- The diagram makes the defensive L-shaped entrance easy to understand.
- In spring, the open lawn area feels calm and accessible.
🗺 Address
Aichi, Inuyama, Inuyama Kitakoken 2
🚶 Access
4 minutes from the previous spot
⏳ Suggested visit
10–30 min
💴 Admission
Free
Map: Jomanji Temple Gate to Otemon Masugata Gate Site.
Castle and Town Museum — Inuyama Cultural History Museum Main Building
The castle town’s memory bank, ideal for preparation before the climb or reflection afterward.
This museum helps visitors understand the history and culture of Inuyama Castle and its castle town. It is open 9:00–17:00, with final admission at 16:30, and closed December 29–31. It fits easily before or after the castle: use it as a primer before climbing to the keep, or as a way to connect the dots afterward.
📜 Facility Data
| Opened | 1987 |
|---|---|
| Operator | Inuyama City |
| Features | Permanent and special exhibition rooms; displays on the castle town and karakuri culture |
| Notes | South building includes the Karakuri Museum |
👀 Highlights
- The castle-town diorama helps you understand Edo-period Inuyama at a glance.
- Inuyama Festival displays introduce the city’s UNESCO-listed karakuri culture.
- It is useful both before and after visiting the castle keep.
🗺 Address
Aichi, Inuyama, Inuyama Kitakoken 8
🚶 Access
2 minutes from the previous spot
⏳ Suggested visit
20–50 min
💴 Admission
Paid; combined castle ticket available
Map: Otemon Masugata Gate Site to Castle and Town Museum.
Ote Second Gate Site — Yarai Gate
A single foundation stone quietly tells the story of the second checkpoint on the main approach.
The Yarai Gate was the second gate on the main approach to the Honmaru. Today, one foundation stone remains beside the stone-paved path, with an information board preserving the memory of the site. After the Meiji Restoration, the gate was moved to Senshuin Temple in Fuso, where it still survives as a temple gate.
📜 Historic Data
| Built | Unknown; likely early Edo period |
|---|---|
| Structure | Yakui-mon gate, later relocated to Senshuin Temple |
| Status | Gate no longer on site; one foundation stone remains |
👀 Highlights
- The surviving foundation stone marks the former gate position.
- The signboard explains the relocation and original defensive role.
- The term “yarai” refers to fencing used to slow enemy movement.
🗺 Address
Aichi, Inuyama, Inuyama Nishikoken
🚶 Access
3 minutes from Castle and Town Museum
⏳ Suggested visit
5–10 min
💴 Admission
Free
Matsunomaru Gate Site
The entrance to the Matsunomaru Palace, where castle lords and Owari-domain lords once stayed.
This was the front gate to Matsunomaru, part of the Ninomaru. Matsunomaru once held a palace where the castle lord and the lord of the Owari domain stayed. After the Meiji period, the gate was dismantled and some materials were moved to Jorenji Temple in Ichinomiya.
📜 Historic Data
| Built | Unknown; late Sengoku to early Edo period possible |
|---|---|
| Structure | Yakui-mon gate |
| Status | Site remains; materials reused at Jorenji Temple |
👀 Highlights
- Subtle changes in ground level show the former entrance position.
- The signboard helps visitors imagine the Matsunomaru Palace area.
- The area becomes lively during Haritsuna Shrine festival seasons.
🗺 Address
Near Inuyama Kitakoken, Inuyama
🚶 Access
4 minutes from Yarai Gate Site
⏳ Suggested visit
5–10 min
💴 Admission
Free
Kozutsu Yagura — Reconstructed Turret
A small reconstructed turret at the entrance to the Honmaru, striking in its black-and-white contrast.
A small turret rebuilt near the entrance to Inuyama Castle’s Honmaru. During Showa-era castle improvements, it was reconstructed as an interpretation of the former Teppo Yagura that once stood on the south side of the Honmaru. Although reinforced concrete, its exterior uses black plaster walls and lattice windows to evoke a wooden turret.
📷 Additional Photos
📜 Historic Data
| Rebuilt | Around 1965 |
|---|---|
| Structure | Wood-like reinforced-concrete turret |
| Status | Reconstructed structure; interior closed |
👀 Highlights
- White plaster, black details, and stone walls make this a strong photo point.
- The turret connects the modern reconstruction story with the older castle approach.
- In winter, a light dusting of snow makes the structure especially atmospheric.
🗺 Address
Inside Inuyama Castle
🚶 Access
5 minutes from Matsunomaru Gate Site
⏳ Suggested visit
5–10 min
💴 Admission
Exterior free
Honmaru Kurogane Gate — Reconstructed Gate and Management Office
The imposing turret gate that recreates the Honmaru’s final defensive line.
The Kurogane Gate is the main gate of Inuyama Castle’s Honmaru. This is where you purchase the castle admission ticket: 550 yen for adults until February 28, 2026, and 1,000 yen from March 1. Although it is a reinforced-concrete reconstruction based on old photos and castle drawings, the gate retains a dignified presence as the entrance to the Honmaru.
📜 Historic Data
| Rebuilt | Around 1965 |
|---|---|
| Structure | Reinforced-concrete turret gate with wood-like exterior |
| Function | Ticket office and management office |
👀 Highlights
- The gate’s turret form gives the Honmaru entrance a strong defensive character.
- Heavy double doors and iron-studded details make the entrance feel ceremonial.
- Autumn maples create a beautiful contrast with the dark gate.
🗺 Address
Inuyama Castle Honmaru
🚶 Access
1 minute from Kozutsu Yagura
⏳ Suggested visit
5–10 min
💴 Admission
Ticket required beyond this point
Osugi-sama
A sacred tree stump, said to be 650 years old, that continues to protect the castle even after withering.
Osugi-sama, the sacred tree of Inuyama Castle, sits east of the keep within the stone walls. The giant cedar is said to have taken root here before the castle was built, and its age is traditionally given as about 650 years. Today, a shimenawa rope is wrapped around the remaining stump, which is revered as a spiritual spot inside the castle grounds.
📜 Data
| Type | Cedar tree stump, revered as a castle guardian |
|---|---|
| Age | Traditionally about 650 years |
| Status | Stump remains within a sacred enclosure |
👀 Highlights
- The large stump and shimenawa rope create a quiet, sacred atmosphere.
- Osugi-sama is closely tied to local stories of the castle being protected from lightning and storms.
- Even a quick stop adds a spiritual layer to the castle visit.
🗺 Address
Inside Inuyama Castle Honmaru
🚶 Access
1 minute from Kurogane Gate
⏳ Suggested visit
1–5 min
💴 Admission
Castle ticket required
Inuyama Castle was built on a strategic point along the Kiso River at the northern edge of Owari. Founded by Oda Nobuyasu, uncle of Oda Nobunaga, it became a castle repeatedly contested by Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu.
In the 1584 Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, Toyotomi Hideyoshi used Inuyama Castle as a base. Stand on the top floor of the keep and look across the Kiso River toward the Owari Plain, and the reason this site mattered to warlords becomes immediately clear.
In the Edo period, the Naruse family governed the castle for generations. Among Japan’s 12 original surviving keeps, Inuyama was also the only castle privately owned until the Showa period. *Historical interpretations vary.
Castle Keep
One of Japan’s oldest surviving National Treasure keeps — feel the Sengoku view from the railed top-floor gallery.
Inuyama Castle’s keep is a three-tier, four-floor wooden keep with two basement levels, and it is among the oldest of Japan’s 12 surviving original keeps. White plaster walls combine with dark timber weatherboarding, and the top floor is surrounded by a railed gallery. Inside, thick beams and pillars, steep wooden stairs, weapon-rack rooms, and defensive details preserve the functional beauty of a Sengoku-period fortress. From the top floor, sweeping views extend over the Kiso River and, in clear weather, toward Mount Ontake.
📷 Additional Photos
📜 Historic Data
| Completion | The date of the keep is debated; 1537 and 1601 are among the major theories |
|---|---|
| Form | Composite watchtower-style keep, 3 tiers / 4 floors + 2 basement levels |
| Height | About 19 meters above the stone base |
| Designation | National Treasure, designated in 1952 |
| Notes | Climbable; personal photography allowed, but livestreaming is discouraged |
👀 Highlights
- The top-floor gallery gives a dramatic view over the Kiso River and surrounding mountains.
- Steep stairs, timber beams, and defensive features make the interior feel authentic and alive.
- The keep is especially memorable because visitors can physically climb through the original wooden structure.
🗺 Address
Aichi, Inuyama, Inuyama Kitakoken 65-2
🚶 Access
1 minute from Osugi-sama
⏳ Suggested visit
20–40 min
💴 Admission
Castle ticket required
Inuyama Castle Shimizu Gate Site
Trace the remains of the eastern rear entrance, also known as the Sakaki Gate.
The Shimizu Gate stood between the Sannomaru and Higashidani bailey. Located on the east side of the castle, it was an important gate connecting the rear entrance with the direction of Uchida Gate. It was dismantled after the Meiji Restoration, and its materials survive as the gate of Unzenji Temple in Ichinomiya.
📜 Historic Data
| Built | Unknown; early Edo period possible |
|---|---|
| Structure | Koraimon-style gate |
| Status | Gate no longer on site; materials survive at Unzenji Temple |
👀 Highlights
- The information board helps locate the former eastern gate.
- The slight terrace-like landform hints at the former gate and moat arrangement.
- The alternate name “Sakaki Gate” gives the site a sacred, protective association.
🗺 Address
Near Inuyama Higashikoken
🚶 Access
5 minutes from the keep
⏳ Suggested visit
3–5 min
💴 Admission
Free
Urakuen Garden
The only garden where you can regularly view the National Treasure Joan tea house, built by Oda Urakusai.
Urakuen is a Japanese garden at the foot of Inuyama Castle. Opened in 1972, it contains Joan, the National Treasure tea house associated with Oda Urakusai, younger brother of Oda Nobunaga. It is the only garden where one of Japan’s three celebrated tea rooms can be viewed on a regular basis. Open 9:30–17:00, admission until 16:30; closed Wednesdays, December 29–January 1, and on maintenance days. Admission: adults 1,200 yen / children 600 yen / Inuyama Castle set ticket 1,450 yen.
📷 Additional Photos
📜 Facility Data
| Garden opened | 1972; Joan originally built in 1618 |
|---|---|
| Founder of Joan | Oda Urakusai |
| Features | Stroll garden with pond, Joan tea house, and Former Shoden-in Shoin |
| Designations | Joan: National Treasure / Former Shoden-in Shoin: Important Cultural Property |
👀 Highlights
- Joan’s small-room tea-house design is restrained, intimate, and deeply refined.
- Look for the calendar-paper wall and the distinctive Uraku window.
- Koan tea service makes this a memorable ending to the castle visit.
🗺 Address
Inuyama, Mikadosaki 1
🚶 Access
4 minutes from Shimizu Gate Site
⏳ Suggested visit
30–90 min
💴 Admission
Adults 1,200 yen / Children 600 yen / Castle set ticket 1,450 yen
Relocated Inuyama Castle Uchida Gate — Zuisenji Temple Gate
From Mino Kaneyama Castle to Inuyama Castle, then to Zuisenji — a rear gate with a double relocation history.
Behind Inuyama Castle, along the Kiso River, Zuisenji Temple preserves a lesser-known gate connected to Inuyama Castle. This is the Uchida Gate, believed to have served as the castle’s rear gate. It was moved to Zuisenji in 1876 as the temple gate. Tradition says it originally served as the main gate of Kaneyama Castle in Mino, making it a “relocated gate” in two senses and a particularly valuable object in castle history.
📷 Additional Photo
📜 Historic Data
| Built | Unknown; traditionally linked to the Tenbun era |
|---|---|
| Structure | Gabled, tiled, one-bay yakui-mon gate with side walls |
| Relocated | Moved to Zuisenji in 1876; repaired after the 1891 Nobi earthquake and again in the Heisei period |
| Designation | Inuyama City-designated Cultural Property |
👀 Highlights
- The gate carries two layers of castle history: Kaneyama Castle and Inuyama Castle.
- Walk around the gate to observe its rear braces, heavy pillars, and old timber surfaces.
- In spring, the temple grounds and gate create a quiet historical scene.
🗺 Address
Inuyama, Zuisenji 4
🚶 Access
12 minutes from Urakuen Garden
⏳ Suggested visit
5–15 min
💴 Admission
Free
Gates Relocated from Inuyama Castle — 7 Surviving Nearby Sites
Inuyama Castle’s buildings were sold off in the Meiji period, and 7 of its 18 gates were relocated to nearby temples and shrines, where they still survive. In addition to the route above, use the following links if you want to explore the other relocation sites.
- Yarai Gate: Senshuin Temple Gate (Fuso Town-designated Cultural Property)
- Black Gate: Tokurinji Temple Gate
- Matsunomaru Gate: Jorenji Temple Gate (Ichinomiya City-designated Cultural Property)
- Matsunomaru Rear Gate: Jomanji Temple Gate (National Registered Tangible Cultural Property)
- Uchida Gate: Zuisenji Temple Gate (Inuyama City-designated Cultural Property)
- Sakaki Gate: Unzenji Temple Gate (Ichinomiya City-designated Cultural Property)
- Somon Yagura: Mori Family Storehouse (not open to the public)
Frequently Asked Questions
Plan about 2 hours for the keep alone, 3 to 4 hours including Urakuen Garden, and 5 to 6 hours for the full route in this guide.
Yes. It is one of Japan’s 12 original surviving keeps and one of the 5 original keeps designated as National Treasures.
From March 1, 2026, admission is 1,000 yen for adults and 200 yen for elementary and junior high school students. Until February 28, 2026, it was 550 yen and 110 yen respectively.
Exit from the west side of Inuyama Station (IY15), head to the Honmachi intersection, turn right / north onto Honmachi-dori, and continue toward the castle hill entrance. The walk takes about 20 minutes.
The castle is generally open 9:00–17:00, final admission 16:30, and closed December 29–31. Check official updates on the day of your visit.
Urakuen Garden is 1,200 yen for adults and 600 yen for children. The combined ticket with Inuyama Castle is 1,450 yen.
It is closed every Wednesday and from December 29 to January 1, with additional maintenance closures possible.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi used Inuyama Castle as a base during the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute in 1584. Its position overlooking the Kiso River and the Owari Plain made it a strategically important stronghold.
Personal photography is allowed, but livestreaming video is discouraged. Be considerate during crowded periods.
Large luggage cannot be brought inside the keep, so use lockers or other storage before entering.
Related Pages
*The information in this article reflects the time of writing, February 2026. Admission fees, opening hours, closed days, and Urakuen Garden schedules may change. Always check official information before visiting.
*Historical descriptions may vary by interpretation. Cultural-property designations, names, and counts may differ depending on the source. Consult the latest official and public materials as well.
*In the historic-data sections, “unknown” and “to be confirmed” indicate points where no conclusive information has been confirmed.
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