Feb 4, 2017 - 1 min read

Odawara Castle and Samurai

A castle destroyed and reborn to house samurai spirits

By George Popescu

Community writer

One of the entrance gates to the castle courtyard

Some traditional and old tools used by people in the past

A cool diorama of the castle and its surroundings

One of the symbols of one of the lords of the castle

Very interesting old artwork is displayed in the castle

The entrance to the samurai spirits gallery

A traditional chest plate, shoulder armor and helmet

A set of traditional full armor that a samurai might wear

An example of body and shoulder armor used by people of that era

The view from the top balcony of the castle

Odawara Castle is in a key geographical location and was the home of various lords living in the Sengoku or "warring states" period of Japan. The lords were in charge of the castle for a certain period of time; afterwards, they were allowed to go back to their hometown to live. Each lord made his mark on the castle. The keep's placement is great since from the top floor's balcony, you can see far out to the ocean. No ship can land anywhere near without being discovered ahead of time. The castle has been rebuilt and it looks great both outside and inside. It also houses an amazing array of utensils, earthenware, and some traditional armor and weaponry of the times. Outside of the castle, there is another small building which houses the "Spirits of Samurai" gallery which shows the traditional armor and weapons of these great warriors. I highly recommend this place for a visit if you are interested in the history of Japan or just enjoy seeing how people used to live a few hundred years ago.