Japan's 100 Famous Castles (Nihon 100 Meijo) Stamp Rally: Complete List & How It Works
The Nihon 100 Meijo, Japan's 100 Famous Castles, is a stamp rally run around a list chosen by the Japan Castle Foundation. You buy the official stamp book, visit castles and collect a stamp at each one. This guide gives the complete list of 100, explains how the stamp rally works and links to a guide for every region.
What the 100 Famous Castles list is
The Japan Castle Foundation (Nihon Jokaku Kyokai) announced the 100 Famous Castles in 2006 as part of events for its 40th anniversary (2007), after taking nominations from the public in 2005. Castles were judged on cultural and historic value, fame as a sightseeing destination, historical importance and the accuracy of any reconstruction, with one to five castles per prefecture. The list includes surviving original keeps, reconstructions and ruins with no keep at all. A second list, the Continued 100 Famous Castles, was added in April 2017 from castles that missed the first list.
How the stamp rally works
Buy the official stamp book and collect the stamp at each castle's designated stamp location (usually a ticket office, museum or visitor center). The stamp locations are listed in the regional guides. Stamp stations usually follow the facility's opening hours, so check before you go, and note that some stations are not at the castle itself. The stamp rally is free to join apart from the book and any admission fees, with no deadline and no required order.
Hokkaido & Tohoku: 13 castles (No. 1–13)
1. Nemuro Peninsula Chashi Sites (根室半島チャシ跡群) — Hokkaido 2. Goryokaku (五稜郭) — Hokkaido 3. Matsumae Castle (松前城) — Hokkaido 4. Hirosaki Castle (弘前城) — Aomori 5. Ne Castle (根城) — Aomori 6. Morioka Castle (盛岡城) — Iwate 7. Taga Castle (多賀城) — Miyagi 8. Sendai Castle (仙台城) — Miyagi 9. Kubota Castle (久保田城) — Akita 10. Yamagata Castle (山形城) — Yamagata 11. Nihonmatsu Castle (二本松城) — Fukushima 12. Aizuwakamatsu Castle (会津若松城) — Fukushima 13. Komine Castle (白河小峰城) — Fukushima
Kanto: 12 castles (No. 14–25)
14. Mito Castle & Kodokan (水戸城 / （弘道館）) — Ibaraki 15. Ashikaga Clan Residence (Banna-ji) (足利氏館 / （鑁阿寺）) — Tochigi 16. Minowa Castle (箕輪城) — Gunma 17. Kanayama Castle (新田金山城) — Gunma 18. Hachigata Castle (鉢形城) — Saitama 19. Kawagoe Castle (川越城) — Saitama 20. Sakura Castle (佐倉城) — Chiba 21. Edo Castle (江戸城) — Tokyo 22. Hachioji Castle (八王子城) — Tokyo 23. Odawara Castle (小田原城) — Kanagawa 24. Takeda Clan Residence (Takeda Shrine) (武田氏館 / （武田神社）) — Yamanashi 25. Kofu Castle (甲府城) — Yamanashi
Koshinetsu & Hokuriku: 12 castles (No. 26–37)
26. Matsushiro Castle (松代城) — Nagano 27. Ueda Castle (上田城) — Nagano 28. Komoro Castle (小諸城) — Nagano 29. Matsumoto Castle (松本城) — Nagano 30. Takato Castle (高遠城) — Nagano 31. Shibata Castle (新発田城) — Niigata 32. Kasugayama Castle (春日山城) — Niigata 33. Takaoka Castle (高岡城) — Toyama 34. Nanao Castle (七尾城) — Ishikawa 35. Kanazawa Castle (金沢城) — Ishikawa 36. Maruoka Castle (丸岡城) — Fukui 37. Ichijodani Asakura Clan Ruins (一乗谷城) — Fukui
Tokai: 11 castles (No. 38–48)
38. Iwamura Castle (岩村城) — Gifu 39. Gifu Castle (岐阜城) — Gifu 40. Yamanaka Castle (山中城) — Shizuoka 41. Sunpu Castle (駿府城) — Shizuoka 42. Kakegawa Castle (掛川城) — Shizuoka 43. Inuyama Castle (犬山城) — Aichi 44. Nagoya Castle (名古屋城) — Aichi 45. Okazaki Castle (岡崎城) — Aichi 46. Nagashino Castle (長篠城) — Aichi 47. Iga Ueno Castle (伊賀上野城) — Mie 48. Matsusaka Castle (松阪城) — Mie
Kansai: 14 castles (No. 49–62)
49. Odani Castle (小谷城) — Shiga 50. Hikone Castle (彦根城) — Shiga 51. Azuchi Castle (安土城) — Shiga 52. Kannonji Castle (観音寺城) — Shiga 53. Nijo Castle (二条城) — Kyoto 54. Osaka Castle (大阪城) — Osaka 55. Chihaya Castle (千早城) — Osaka 56. Takeda Castle (竹田城) — Hyogo 57. Sasayama Castle (篠山城) — Hyogo 58. Akashi Castle (明石城) — Hyogo 59. Himeji Castle (姫路城) — Hyogo 60. Ako Castle (赤穂城) — Hyogo 61. Takatori Castle (高取城) — Nara 62. Wakayama Castle (和歌山城) — Wakayama
Chugoku: 13 castles (No. 63–75)
63. Tottori Castle (鳥取城) — Tottori 64. Matsue Castle (松江城) — Shimane 65. Gassantoda Castle (月山富田城) — Shimane 66. Tsuwano Castle (津和野城) — Shimane 67. Tsuyama Castle (津山城) — Okayama 68. Bitchu Matsuyama Castle (備中松山城) — Okayama 69. Kino Castle (鬼ノ城) — Okayama 70. Okayama Castle (岡山城) — Okayama 71. Fukuyama Castle (福山城) — Hiroshima 72. Yoshida-Koriyama Castle (郡山城) — Hiroshima 73. Hiroshima Castle (広島城) — Hiroshima 74. Iwakuni Castle (岩国城) — Yamaguchi 75. Hagi Castle (萩城) — Yamaguchi
Shikoku: 9 castles (No. 76–84)
76. Tokushima Castle (徳島城) — Tokushima 77. Takamatsu Castle (高松城) — Kagawa 78. Marugame Castle (丸亀城) — Kagawa 79. Imabari Castle (今治城) — Ehime 80. Yuzuki Castle (湯築城) — Ehime 81. Matsuyama Castle (松山城) — Ehime 82. Ozu Castle (大洲城) — Ehime 83. Uwajima Castle (宇和島城) — Ehime 84. Kochi Castle (高知城) — Kochi
Kyushu & Okinawa: 16 castles (No. 85–100)
85. Fukuoka Castle (福岡城) — Fukuoka 86. Ono Castle (大野城) — Fukuoka 87. Nagoya (Hizen) Castle Ruins (名護屋城) — Saga 88. Yoshinogari Historical Park (吉野ヶ里 / （吉野ヶ里歴史公園）) — Saga 89. Saga Castle (佐賀城) — Saga 90. Hirado Castle (平戸城) — Nagasaki 91. Shimabara Castle (島原城) — Nagasaki 92. Kumamoto Castle (熊本城) — Kumamoto 93. Hitoyoshi Castle (人吉城) — Kumamoto 94. Funai Castle (大分府内城) — Oita 95. Oka Castle (岡城) — Oita 96. Obi Castle (飫肥城) — Miyazaki 97. Kagoshima Castle (鹿児島城) — Kagoshima 98. Nakijin Castle (今帰仁城) — Okinawa 99. Nakagusuku Castle (中城城) — Okinawa 100. Shuri Castle (首里城) — Okinawa
Where to start
Start with the best preserved castles. All twelve castles in Japan that still have their original keeps are on the list, and five of those keeps are National Treasures: Himeji, Matsumoto, Inuyama, Hikone and Matsue. Group castles by region so the rally becomes a trip, check the stamp station hours the night before, and build a spare half day into the plan in case a keep or stamp station is closed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who selected the 100 Famous Castles?
The Japan Castle Foundation (Nihon Jokaku Kyokai) selected the list in 2006.
Is the stamp rally free?
Yes, you only pay for the stamp book and any castle admission fees. There is no deadline and no required order.
Where do I get a castle stamp?
At the designated stamp location for each castle, usually a ticket office, museum or visitor center. The locations are listed in the regional guides.
Do I need to read Japanese?
No, but the stamp location names are in Japanese. A translation app and the facility names listed in these guides are enough.
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