The other day, I attended the ONE PARK FESTIVAL in Fukui Prefecture.

I headed to the festival in the evening, but since Fukui is full of spots I’ve always wanted to visit, I busily made my way around as much as time allowed. Over the next few installments, I’ll be sharing about some of the places I visited in Fukui, so please follow along if you’re interested.

First up, I went to Maruoka Castle early in the day. As you may know, a “genson tenshu” (original castle keep) is a valuable historical structure, and Maruoka Castle in Fukui Prefecture is one of them, designated as a National Important Cultural Property.

There are currently 12 castle keeps that remain from the Edo period or earlier. Many people may have visited famous ones like Himeji Castle or Hikone Castle, but Maruoka Castle seems to be a favorite among castle enthusiasts. I’ve personally conquered 8 of the 12 so far, and this one was a keep I had admired from photos and TV for a long time.

Let’s head inside.

The keep is a small one, standing at just 12 meters high, but the stone staircase immediately took me by surprise. I had a feeling it was going to be tough, but I’ll get to what made it so tough later…

Maruoka Castle is an early example of a castle architectural style. Until academic research was conducted, the prevailing theory was that the keep was completed in 1576, meaning it might have been the oldest castle in Japan. However, recent research has found that Inuyama Castle is actually older. Various studies now suggest that Maruoka Castle was renovated after 1626. While castles have been modified over time to become what they are today, this one is certainly a precious original keep.

The castle was originally built during the Sengoku period. While the current keep was constructed later, it is said that Shibata Katsuie’s nephew, Katsutoyo, built it under the command of Oda Nobunaga to prepare for the Ikkō-ikki rebellion. During the Edo period, the castle was held by the Honda and Arima clans, but due to the abolition of castles, only the keep remained in the Meiji period.

Although it was designated as a National Treasure in 1934, the Maruoka Castle keep was completely destroyed along with its stone wall during the 1948 Fukui earthquake. With the strong desire of many people for its restoration and donations from all over Japan, it was miraculously rebuilt in just seven years, reusing over 70% of the main pillars and beams. Since then, it was designated as an Important Cultural Property in 1950 and is preserved as a historical heritage site.

So, what did I have a feeling about? This staircase.

The stairs from the first to the second floor are at a 65-degree angle, and from the second to the third floor, they’re at a 67-degree angle. This is rare nationwide and is the steepest staircase among all original keeps. You can’t place your feet flat on the steps; it’s practically a wall. You have to “climb” sideways, gripping the rope along the handrail. An ordinary ladder wouldn’t have been appropriate for a castle, I suppose. Matsumoto Castle had a pretty steep incline too, but I can’t imagine a lord or guest climbing these stairs daily. How did they even carry meals? Just in case, I took off my slippers before climbing.

Here’s the second floor.

From the outside, it looks like a two-story building, but it’s actually three stories inside. Since there are no continuous pillars between the first and second/third floors, the first floor seems to support the upper two floors. I climbed the steep 67-degree stairs again to reach the third floor.

I was so focused on the tense climb up the stairs that I forgot to take pictures from the windows.

Sweating nervously, I safely descended. A lot of people started entering the castle as I was leaving, so the staircase area began to get a little crowded. I was glad I came first thing in the morning.

Another unique feature is that the roof is the only one among the original keeps to be covered with stone tiles. More than anything, the combination of the stacked stone walls and the small castle’s various architectural details creates a beautiful appearance. Since I was there so early, I was able to take some great photos with no one else in them.

Since I failed to take a photo from the keep, I highly recommend you take your time climbing these stairs, carefully make your way up the steep ones, and enjoy the view from the top.

The next installment of my Fukui journey continues next time.

Until then, all the best! (Staff Y)