Kaneishi Castle Ruins
Tsushima
The shogunal castle of the So clan of the Tsushima Domain, Kaneishi Castle was located on the southern foot of Shimizuyama. In 1528, the original residence of the So clan, Ike-no-Yakata in Imayashiki, was burned down during an internal conflict within the clan, after which the island head, So Masamori, moved the clan residence to this location. Kaneishi Castle was used as the shogunal castle until the completion of Sajikihara Castle in 1678, after which, as the gateway to Japan, it played a role as an official guesthouse for envoys from Joseon. Today, the yagura-mon (watchtower gate) has been rebuilt, and parts of the stone wall still survive. From these remnants, along with illustrations of the castle from the Edo period (held by the Prefectural Tsushima History and Folk Customs Museum), one can easily imagine the imposing scale of the castle.