Kagoshima Castle Ruins

Edo-period flatland castle built in 1601 by Shimazu Iehisa, 18th head of the Shimazu clan and first lord of the Satsuma Domain. Uniquely lacked a main keep, reflecting the Satsuma principle that a domain is defended by its people, not its walls. Bombarded by the Royal Navy during the Anglo-Satsuma War of 1863. A fire destroyed the main palace in 1873, and the Ninomaru was damaged during the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion. Designated a National Historic Site in 1931, with the Goromon Gate reconstructed in 2020 after 140 years.