高知城

About this photo

Kochi Castle stands in the center of Kochi City. Yamauchi Kazutoyo, who took over Tosa Province after the Battle of Sekigahara, began building it in 1601, and it remained the residence of the Yamauchi family, lords of the Tosa domain, until the Meiji era.

A great fire in 1727 burned most of the buildings, but they were later rebuilt, and the present keep is said to date from 1747. The book this photo comes from, Kauchi, was published in 1915 (Taisho 4). Its title is an old kana spelling of "Kochi," and the full title, which adds a directory of merchants and manufacturers, suggests it was a guide to Kochi.

Fifteen structures, including the keep and the Honmaru Palace (the lord's residence in the main enclosure), are Important Cultural Properties, and it is known as the only castle where both a keep and a honmaru palace survive together. The grounds are now Kochi Park, and visitors can climb the keep.

Glossary