Echizen Ono Castle (‰z‘O‘å–ìé, Echizen-Ōnō-jō) is a hilltop castle in the city of Ono, 25 kilometers east of Fukui City. It is one of several castles in Japan known as a "castle in the sky" because it appears to float in the air when the town below is sometimes wrapped in clouds.
Originally built in 1575, the castle changed hands several times during the feudal era, but was demolished following the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The current building is a concrete reconstruction from the 1960s, but still offers spectacular views over the town below.
The view from the castle's top floor
Steep walking trails lead up from several trailheads around the base of the hill to the castle. Inside the paid interior of the castle tower are some exhibits ranging from formal clothing worn by samurai retainers to a wooden palanquin of the feudal lord.
The town of Ono developed around the castle in a neat rectangular plan, earning it the nickname "little Kyoto in Hokuriku". Traces of the original town can still be seen in the area immediately east of the castle, including two well preserved samurai residences:
Uchiyama Residence
Hours: 9:00 to 16:00 (until 17:00 on weekends and national holidays) Closed: New Year holidays Admission: 300 yen
Set in a prime location directly opposite a defensive moat that once surrounded the castle, this lavish samurai residence belonged to one of the domain's pre-eminent families. In addition to the main building, which dates to the late Edo Period, the property features an attractive landscape garden, multiple storehouses and an annex building that is connected to the main building by a pretty corridor.
Tamura Residence
Hours: 9:00 to 16:00 (until 17:00 on weekends and national holidays)
Closed: New Year holidays Admission: 300 yen
Once the home of a chief retainer, this house was originally located in the countryside and was moved to its current location in 1827. The inside of the house has a more rural flair than the more elegant Uchiyama Residence. Decorative collections of small, colorful windmills are placed in multiple locations around the residence.
Getting there and around
Take the JR Kuzuryu Line from Fukui to Echizen Ono (60 minutes, 680 yen one way, every 2-3 hours), from where the base of the castle hill is a 15 minute walk. By car, the castle is 40 minutes from central Fukui. There are two free parking lots around the base of the castle hill.
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