Yonezawa Castle Ruin/ Matsugamisaki Park

Yonezawa Castle Ruins / Matsugasaki Park is reached by taking a bus about 11 minutes from JR Yonezawa Station and getting off at “Uesugi Jinja-mae.” The former Honmaru (main bailey) of Yonezawa Castle—known as the birthplace of Date Masamune in the Sengoku period and later the residence of the Uesugi clan in the Edo period—has been developed into Matsugasaki Park and is now one of Yonezawa City’s sightseeing spots. Within the park are many Uesugi-related historic sites, including Uesugi Shrine (Uesugi Jinja), which enshrines Uesugi Kenshin and Uesugi Yozan and is visited to pray for good fortune and fulfilled wishes, and Keishoden, which exhibits important cultural assets such as Uesugi family treasures and relics. The stone arched bridge over the moat, called “Maizuru Bridge,” is registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property. As you cross the bridge, the famous war banners bearing “Dragon” (Ryū) and “Bi” (毘) flutter on both sides, catching the eye of visitors walking through the grounds. Matsugasaki Park is also well known as a cherry-blossom spot. In spring, a little over 200 cherry trees bloom and draw many hanami visitors. The blossoms are beautiful by day, and at night they are illuminated, with their reflections in the moat creating an especially lovely scene.