Tsu Castle once stood in what is now Tsu City, Mie Prefecture. The city was formerly known as Anotsu, so the castle was also called Anotsu Castle. It developed into an important political and economic center of Ise Province during Japan’s medieval period.
During the Edo period (1603–1868), the castle was laid out in a concentric design, with the main enclosure at its center, flanked by eastern and western enclosures and surrounded by a second enclosure. The Ano River to the north and the Iwata River to the south served as natural outer moats. In the early Edo period, the renowned castle architect Todo Takatora extensively remodeled the fortress into a modern castle and established it as the administrative headquarters of the Tsu Domain.
Today, the former castle grounds have been transformed into Oshiro Park and Oshiro West Park, popular places for local residents to relax. Takayama Shrine stands within the grounds, while Tsu City Hall, the Tsu District Court, and Tsu Police Station are located nearby.
A Japanese garden has been created on the site of the former main enclosure. The Nyutoku Gate, originally the main gate of Yuzokan, the domain’s school for samurai, was relocated here. A reconstructed three-story corner turret also offers visitors an impression of the castle’s former appearance.
On April 6, 2017, Tsu Castle was selected as Castle No. 152 in the Continued List of Japan’s Top 100 Castles, recognizing its historical significance.
The area around Tsu, known historically as Anotsu, had been an important political and commercial center in Ise Province since the Heian period (794–1185). During the Kamakura period (1185–1333), the Nagano clan, descended from the Kudo family of the Fujiwara lineage, controlled the region.
The origins of Tsu Castle date to the Eiroku era (1558–1569) of the Sengoku period. Hosono Fujimitsu, a member of the Nagano clan, built a small fortress on a delta between the Ano and Iwata rivers.
In 1568, during Oda Nobunaga’s campaign to bring Ise Province under his control, Oda Kamon-no-kami, also known as Tsuda Kazuyasu, entered the castle. The following year, Nobunaga’s younger brother, Oda Nobukane, took possession and expanded the fortifications.
Nobukane developed the stone walls and moats and completed the main, second, and third enclosures. In 1577, a five-story main keep and a smaller keep were completed, making the castle a more substantial stronghold.
In 1594, Oda Nobukane was transferred to Kaibara in Tanba Province by order of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The following year, Tomita Ippaku, a retainer of the Toyotomi family, entered the castle.
During the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, the castle’s lord, Tomita Nobutaka, supported the Eastern Army. Forces aligned with the Western Army attacked the castle, and after fierce resistance, it was eventually surrendered.
In 1608, Tomita Nobutaka was transferred to the Uwajima Domain in Iyo Province, and Todo Takatora took control of the castle with a domain of 220,000 koku across Ise and Iga provinces.
Takatora carried out extensive renovations, reorganizing the defenses into a concentric layout and developing the surrounding castle town. The Todo family continued to rule from Tsu Castle until the end of the Edo period and the Meiji Restoration.
The original main keep was destroyed by fire during the Battle of Sekigahara. A three-story keep and a smaller two-story keep are believed to have been rebuilt during the Kan’ei era (1624–1643). However, both were destroyed in a fire in 1662. The main keep was not rebuilt, reportedly because the domain was reluctant to attract the attention of the Tokugawa shogunate by restoring such a prominent structure.
Following the abolition of the feudal domains in 1871, Tsu Castle was decommissioned, and its buildings were demolished. A Japanese garden was later established on the former main enclosure. In 1958, a concrete replica of a three-story corner turret was constructed, recreating part of the castle’s historic silhouette.
Although most of the original structures have disappeared, the castle grounds remain a valuable place to explore the history of Tsu and the legacy of the Todo clan.