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Hachigata Castle Ruins
A genuine earthwork castle of the Later Hojo clan, on a river bluff in Yorii, Saitama. It overlooks Tamayodo, a stretch of the Arakawa River designated as a prefectural scenic site.
Hachigata Castle was built on a tongue of high ground where the Arakawa and the smaller Fukasawa River meet, using the cliffs on both sides in place of walls. It served as a stronghold of the Later Hojo clan, who ruled this region in the 1500s. In 1590, the defenders held out for about a month against a much larger attacking army before surrendering. What remains today is earthworks — raised banks, dry moats, and stone foundations — spread across a wooded park. Directly below, the Arakawa slows and pools at a spot called Tamayodo: a scenic stretch known for clear water and the low cliffs that frame it.
Why it stays quiet
This is a genuine castle ruin, not a concrete replica, so it draws castle enthusiasts rather than tour buses. There is little travel information in English, and the riverbank below is a spot locals use for picnics and fireworks rather than a headline sight.
Background & history
The castle is usually dated to around 1476 and linked to the warrior Nagao Kageharu; it later became a Hojo base and has been protected as a National Historic Site since 1932. In 2006 the Japan Castle Foundation named it one of Japan's Top 100 Castles. The Tamayodo riverbank was designated a scenic site by Saitama Prefecture in 1935, as part of the Nagatoro-Tamayodo Prefectural Natural Park. The Meiji-era novelist Tayama Katai praised this gorge as one of the finest near Tokyo.
What to look for — in walking order
- Cliff-top position
- the bluff between the Arakawa and Fukasawa rivers, whose cliffs served as the castle's natural defense
- Castle earthworks
- dry moats, raised earth banks, and stone foundations across the wooded castle park
- Tamayodo riverbank
- roughly three kilometers of clear, still river, framed by low cliffs and designated a scenic site
- Summer water festival
- the Yorii Tamayodo Suitengu festival, held by the riverbank each summer
How to enjoy it
Both sites can be covered in one walk: follow the castle earthworks through the trees, then descend to the Tamayodo riverbank below. Spring cherry blossoms and autumn leaves are the classic seasons, and in summer the Suitengu festival brings the riverbank to life.
How to actually get there
- Ikebukuro Stn → Ogawamachi Stn (Tobu Tojo Line express, ~65 min)
- Ogawamachi Stn → Yorii Stn (Ogawamachi–Yorii local train, ~20 min)
- Yorii Stn → Tamayodo riverbank / Hachigata Castle Park (on foot, ~10-20 min)
- Tobu Tojo Line (transfer at Ogawamachi)
- Ikebukuro Stn →(Tobu Tojo Line express, ~65 min)→ Ogawamachi Stn →(transfer to the Ogawamachi–Yorii local train, ~20 min)→ Yorii Stn. Total about 80-90 min. There is no direct train the whole way: you must change trains at Ogawamachi. The Ogawamachi–Yorii section runs local trains only, roughly twice an hour.
- Return the same way
- Return via Yorii Stn: local train to Ogawamachi, then Tobu Tojo Line back to Ikebukuro. The Ogawamachi–Yorii local runs into the evening but less often at night — check the return times posted at Yorii Stn when you arrive.
Before you go
- Cash
- Rural shops and the site area can be cash-only, so carry some cash and coins. Admission to Hachigata Castle Park and its history museum grounds is free.
- Closing days
- The castle grounds are open, with unfenced drops toward the river. Stay on the paths and away from the cliff edges.
- Another way
- In spring, the river valley below the town turns pink with cherry blossoms along the banks.
- After you get off
- From Yorii Stn, on foot: about 10 min down to the Tamayodo riverbank, about 20 min up to Hachigata Castle Park.