Sunpu Castle Ruins (Sunpu Castle Park)

Sunpu Castle Park occupies the site of the retirement castle of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who unified Japan and founded the Edo period. Ieyasu spent his childhood as a hostage in the earlier Sunpu Castle under the Imagawa clan, then returned in 1585 to build his own stronghold, expanding it into a grand five-story, seven-tier keep after he retired as shogun in 1607 and moved his personal court back to Shizuoka. From here Ieyasu continued to direct national affairs until his death in 1616, making Sunpu a de facto second capital of Japan alongside Edo. The original keep and most structures were lost to fire and later demolition, but the surviving stone walls, moats, and earthworks trace the footprint of one of the largest castle complexes of the early Edo period. Two structures have been faithfully reconstructed using traditional joinery: the Tatsumi Yagura corner turret, rebuilt in 1989, and the Higashi Gomon east gate complex with its two-tiered gatehouse, rebuilt in 1996 using period carpentry techniques and materials documented through archaeological excavation. Inside the reconstructed buildings, exhibits display excavated roof tiles, castle plans, and models showing the layout of the inner and outer moats. The park today is laid out chronologically for visitors, moving from the moat and stone-wall perimeter through the reconstructed gate and turret to a modern statue of Ieyasu with a falcon, reflecting his fondness for falconry in retirement. Archaeological work beneath the park continues to refine understanding of the castle's Sengoku-period predecessor, and ongoing excavation has periodically closed sections of the grounds. The site's low-key, garden-like preservation contrasts with the reconstructed keeps found elsewhere in Shizuoka, giving visitors a sense of the castle's scale primarily through its stonework and water defenses rather than a rebuilt tower.