Castle Atlas / No. 108
Tsurugaoka Castle
鶴ヶ岡城
Tsurugaoka Castle is Foundation list no. 108, recorded in 山形県鶴岡市 as a 平城 site associated with 武藤（大宝寺）氏、酒井氏 and 武藤氏、上杉氏、最上氏、酒井氏.
History
What historically stood here
The Japan Castle Foundation records 鶴ヶ岡城 as a 平城 site in 鶴岡市, with the founding label 室町時代～江戸時代初期. The listed builder or associated clan is 武藤（大宝寺）氏、酒井氏; principal lords are 武藤氏、上杉氏、最上氏、酒井氏.
Today
What you are actually seeing today
The atlas currently classifies the visible condition as research pending. Check the linked operator page for current hours, fees and restoration details.
- Current condition
- Stonework and earthworks
- Terrain
- Hirajiro: flatland castle
- Condition note
- Stonework or earthworks only. Classified 2026-09-24 from the structured fields at https://cmeg.jp/w/castles/947.
Architecture And Defense
How to read the place
This record still needs feature-level reporting. For now, do not assume the most visible modern structure is the most historically important part of the castle.
Visit
Present-day visitor information
Foundation-linked visitor source available; current hours, fees, closures and restoration information have not been republished in this first atlas pass.
- Address or access location
- 山形県鶴岡市馬場町
- Coordinates
- 38.728301, 139.824322
- Nearest useful station
- See official visitor information.
- Estimated visit duration
- See official visitor information.
- Opening hours
- Check the official visitor source.
- Admission
- Check the official visitor source.
Nearby
Castles close enough to compare
Murakami Castle
Niigata / Stonework and earthworks
Yamagata Castle
Yamagata / Reconstructed gates, turrets or buildings
Yonezawa Castle
Yamagata / Stonework and earthworks
Shibata Castle
Niigata / Rebuilt or replica keep
Sources
Source and correction context
Identity, list membership, Foundation list number, municipality, basic classification and cultural-property notes are source-verified. Site-level visitor details require additional review unless this record is publishable. Foundation numbers are official list identifiers, not rankings. Coordinates use the Foundation-linked position-data KML and should be treated as visitor-planning coordinates rather than archaeological survey points.
Sources
- Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles, Japan Castle Foundation. Accessed 2026-09-04. Used for the official identity, list number, list membership, location municipality, castle type, founding label, builders, principal lords, and cultural-property notes for the continued 100-castle selection.
- Japan's Top 100 and Continued Top 100 Castle Position Data, Japan Castle Foundation / Nippon Castle. Accessed 2026-09-04. Used for the 200 castle addresses and coordinates exposed through the public map linked from the Japan Castle Foundation castle-search page.
- 100 Fine Castles of Japan and Continued 100 Fine Castles of Japan, Wikipedia contributors. Accessed 2026-09-04. Used only as a secondary cross-check for common English castle names; Japan Castle Foundation records remain the corpus source of truth.
- Nippon Shiro Meguri castle records: keep structure, remains and rebuilt structures, Nippon Shiro Meguri (cmeg.jp). Accessed 2026-09-24. Structured fields for each of the 200 castles, used to classify what stands at each site today. The linked record for each castle is its coordinate source.