Maizuru Castle Park (Kofu Castle Ruins)

Maizuru Castle Park occupies the site of Kofu Castle, built beginning in the late 16th century after Takeda clan rule ended and completed under successive lords including Toyotomi- and later Tokugawa-appointed administrators, who developed Kofu into the Kai domain's political center distinct from the Takeda family's earlier Tsutsujigasaki residence nearby. Little of the original castle survives above ground, but the park preserves an unusually extensive set of dry-stone retaining walls (ishigaki), built without mortar in a style typical of the era, along with reconstructed elements including the Inari Yagura corner turret and the Yamanotemon gate, both rebuilt in the 2000s using traditional joinery techniques based on archaeological and documentary research. Visitors walk stone staircases and terraced paths between the park's several levels, climbing to the former main keep platform (honmaru) for a panoramic view over central Kofu toward the surrounding mountains, including Mount Fuji on especially clear days. A statue of Takeda Shingen's father, Nobutora, who is associated with the region's broader castle-building era, stands near one of the park's entrances, and the grounds include a small kabuki-inspired garden and seasonal plantings. A full walk through the terraced grounds and turret exhibits takes about 45 minutes to an hour and a quarter, and the park's central location a five-minute walk from Kofu Station makes it an easy stop for visitors passing through the city on the way to other Yamanashi destinations.