Built in 1622, it is the keystone of the guard in the Western Province, with the nation’s only iron-plated north side of the castle keep.
Built in 1622 by Mizuno Katsunari, the first daimyo of the Fukuyama domain, it is the only castle in Japan with the nation’s only iron-plated north side of the castle keep. The castle keep was built in the period of the greatest technological development of castle keep construction in the field of early modern castles, as a multi-leveled tower type keep with 5 tiers and 6 floors and 2 tiers and 3 floors of small keep joined together.
The most distinctive feature of the castle’s exterior is the iron-plated north wall like no other. It is assumed that the iron-plated wall was installed to strengthen the defenses on the north side, which is the only defensive feature that Fukuyama Castle has in Japan.
Although designated a National Treasure in 1931, it burned to the ground in an air raid in Fukuyama in August 1945. The present castle keep was rebuilt in 1966, and on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the castle’s construction in 2022, the appearance of the castle was restored to its original state, including the iron-plated wall on the north side, which is said to be the only one in Japan, the windows on the top floor, and the crenels.