天守　(tenshu) is the Japanese word for a castle tower. There are only 12 original tenshu left in Japan. I visited them all over a couple of years and made some simple videos. You can find a map of the 12 and a little more information on this page.

Kochi is a long, long way from me. It’s on the southern edge of Shikoku, the island that lies just off the coast of Honshu, a wee bit past Osaka. This was the first castle I visited on my trip to Shikoku last winter, foggy & groggy from travelling through the night on the Sunrise Seto.

Kochi castle is not, technically, the original. The original was destroyed by fire.

However, as this happened in 1727, and the current version is the one that was rebuilt in 1749, I’m pretty sure it still counts as one of the long lasting 12 tenshu. Kochi is, in fact, a stellar standout in that group, having all its original buildings in the honmaru, the inner circle of the castle, the only such castle in Japan.

The grounds of the castle are a beautiful park nowadays, and you make your way through the main gate and up a steep slope and some steep steps to reach the castle proper.

The castle itself is a lot less imposing once you reach it, and walking through the entrance around some of the tatami rooms and past the small garden, it feels more like a home than any of the other castles I’ve visited.

It’s discovering little gems like this in the lesser visited parts of Japan that make me wish I could have more time to soak them up instead of rushing on to my next destination. Still though, I have to go back to Shikoku one day – it’s home to one of the few prefectures I have never set foot in.

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A few more images in the gallery below: