Photo: Glen Zi 加侖子 / PexelsMori Terumoto built this castle in the 1590s on the delta, and the city grew around it — Hiroshima means "broad island," which is what the delta is. The keep survived three centuries and was designated a National Treasure. It was about 900 metres from the hypocentre, and on 6 August 1945 it was gone.
The concrete keep rebuilt in 1958 closed for good on 22 March 2026: sixty-eight years old, and no longer safe in an earthquake. The city plans to replace it with a wooden reconstruction. What you can still do is walk the moat and grounds, where a eucalyptus and a willow that survived the bomb are still growing, and go into the reconstructed Ninomaru gate and turrets, which are free.
Five things the plaques won't tell you
- The keep is closed inside. Photograph it from across the moat — the far bank is the better angle anyway.
- The A-bombed trees in the grounds are marked. They are older than everything around them.
- The reconstructed Ninomaru gate and turrets are free, and the museum shop has moved into them.
- Gokoku Shrine inside the moat is where the Carp baseball team comes to pray each season.
- Cherry blossom lines the moat in early April and almost nobody photographs it from the far bank.
What you can still do is walk the moat and grounds, where a eucalyptus and a willow that survived the bomb are still growing, and go into the reconstructed Ninomaru gate and turrets, which are free.
Guided days from Hiroshima
Booked before you sail — there is no tour desk at the pier. Booking through these links supports the site.
5.0★ · 9119 reviewsPeaceful Hiroshima & Miyajima UNESCO 1 Day Bus Tour
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4.9★ · 1572 reviewsHiroshima & Miyajima in 1 Day: Private Tour, Licensed Guide
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5.0★ · 1035 reviewsHiroshima Peace (Heiwa) Walking Tour at World Heritage Sites
From US$88.
Why we list it →More in Hiroshima
Spot guideThe Peace Memorial Park
Kenzo Tange's argument, in concrete and sightlines
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Spot guideMiyajima
The shrine built off the land, because the land was the god
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Spot guideShukkei-en
A feudal lord's garden from 1620, in the middle of the city, free if you are 65
Open the guide →Questions people ask here
Is Hiroshima Castle open?
The keep is not. It closed for good on 22 March 2026 because the 1958 concrete building is no longer safe in an earthquake, and it can only be seen from outside. The grounds, the moat and the reconstructed Ninomaru buildings stay open; the Ninomaru is free, 9:00–17:30 (to 16:30 October to March).
Is Hiroshima Castle original?
No. The 1590s keep survived three centuries and was a National Treasure, but it stood about 900 metres from the hypocentre and was destroyed on 6 August 1945. The 1958 concrete reconstruction closed in March 2026; the city plans a wooden reconstruction.
Is Hiroshima Castle worth visiting on a cruise day?
Only as a short walk-through now that the keep is closed. It is fifteen minutes on foot from the Peace Park, so it fits if you have half an hour spare on a long call: the moat, the A-bombed trees and the free Ninomaru gate.