April 6 is 'Castle Day'. Over 10,000 People Certified for Completing the Visit to Japan's 100 Castles and the Continued 100 Castles!
One Publishing announced that its 'Japan 100 Castles Official Guidebook' series has exceeded 1.03 million copies. The number of people who have completed the castle stamp rally and received certification has surpassed 10,000, further fueled by the ongoing Taiga drama 'Toyotomi Brothers!'.
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- 📰 Published: April 6, 2026 at 19:00
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One Publishing Co., Ltd. (Minato-ku, Tokyo / President: Kensuke Matsui) announced that the 'Japan 100 Castles Official Guidebook' it publishes has exceeded 1.03 million copies cumulatively in the series, ahead of 'Castle Day' on April 6 (Monday), 2026.
The castle stamp rally, where participants collect stamps in the stamp book attached to the official guidebook to commemorate their visits, is highly popular as an 'adult stamp rally.' If you visit all 100 castles, you can receive a 'Castle Visit Completion Certification' from the Japan Castle Foundation.
As of the end of March 2026, the number of people certified for completing the visits has surpassed 10,000 in total, with 8,192 for the Japan 100 Castles and 2,772 for the Continued Japan 100 Castles! Castles also serve as important settings in the currently broadcasting Taiga drama 'Toyotomi Brothers!', and interest in castles is growing more than ever.
In addition to the B5 and A5 sizes for the 'Japan 100 Castles' and 'Continued Japan 100 Castles' respectively, there is also an A5 size combined volume of 200 castles.
● Castle Boom is Expanding!
The popularity of castles is soaring.
The official guidebooks with stamp books introducing the 'Japan 100 Castles' and 'Continued Japan 100 Castles' selected by the Japan Castle Foundation have exceeded a cumulative total of 1.03 million copies in the series.
The castle stamp rally, which grants a 'Castle Visit Completion Certification' from the Japan Castle Foundation upon visiting all 100 castles, has seen the number of certified visitors exceed 10,000 for both the 100 castles and the continued 100 castles combined.
The Castle EXPO, a castle festival celebrating its 11th anniversary this year, recorded a record high of over 23,000 visitors and 137 exhibiting organizations at its 10th event late last year. (*Source 1.2)
Various castle events, large and small, are held across the country, and castle visiting is now widely recognized as a leisure activity that stimulates intellectual curiosity, on par with visiting temples and shrines.
For those who want to start castle visiting as a new hobby this spring, we introduce the castles you should visit this year.
▲ If you stamp all 100 castles in the official stamp book and apply, you can receive a castle visit certification from the Japan Castle Foundation. (The photo is 'Let's Go to Japan 100 Castles and Continued Japan 100 Castles')
● Which 'Toyotomi Brothers!' Castles Should You Visit This Year?
The currently broadcasting Taiga drama 'Toyotomi Brothers!' is a story set in the golden age of castles, when castle towers first appeared and so many castles were built that it was called a castle-building rush. There are many of the 100 castles and continued 100 castles deeply related to the characters, making it perfect for an opportunity to start visiting castles.
Including Oda Nobunaga's Komakiyama Castle (Komaki City, Aichi Prefecture), Gifu Castle (Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture), and Azuchi Castle (Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture), as well as Odani Castle (Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture) of Asai Nagamasa, who married Nobunaga's younger sister Oichi. Tokugawa Ieyasu's Kakegawa Castle (Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture) and Edo Castle (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo). And Osaka Castle (Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture), Ishigakiyama Castle (Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture), and Yamato... associated with the brothers Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Hidenaga.
The castle stamp rally, where participants collect stamps in the stamp book attached to the official guidebook to commemorate their visits, is highly popular as an 'adult stamp rally.' If you visit all 100 castles, you can receive a 'Castle Visit Completion Certification' from the Japan Castle Foundation.
As of the end of March 2026, the number of people certified for completing the visits has surpassed 10,000 in total, with 8,192 for the Japan 100 Castles and 2,772 for the Continued Japan 100 Castles! Castles also serve as important settings in the currently broadcasting Taiga drama 'Toyotomi Brothers!', and interest in castles is growing more than ever.
In addition to the B5 and A5 sizes for the 'Japan 100 Castles' and 'Continued Japan 100 Castles' respectively, there is also an A5 size combined volume of 200 castles.
● Castle Boom is Expanding!
The popularity of castles is soaring.
The official guidebooks with stamp books introducing the 'Japan 100 Castles' and 'Continued Japan 100 Castles' selected by the Japan Castle Foundation have exceeded a cumulative total of 1.03 million copies in the series.
The castle stamp rally, which grants a 'Castle Visit Completion Certification' from the Japan Castle Foundation upon visiting all 100 castles, has seen the number of certified visitors exceed 10,000 for both the 100 castles and the continued 100 castles combined.
The Castle EXPO, a castle festival celebrating its 11th anniversary this year, recorded a record high of over 23,000 visitors and 137 exhibiting organizations at its 10th event late last year. (*Source 1.2)
Various castle events, large and small, are held across the country, and castle visiting is now widely recognized as a leisure activity that stimulates intellectual curiosity, on par with visiting temples and shrines.
For those who want to start castle visiting as a new hobby this spring, we introduce the castles you should visit this year.
▲ If you stamp all 100 castles in the official stamp book and apply, you can receive a castle visit certification from the Japan Castle Foundation. (The photo is 'Let's Go to Japan 100 Castles and Continued Japan 100 Castles')
● Which 'Toyotomi Brothers!' Castles Should You Visit This Year?
The currently broadcasting Taiga drama 'Toyotomi Brothers!' is a story set in the golden age of castles, when castle towers first appeared and so many castles were built that it was called a castle-building rush. There are many of the 100 castles and continued 100 castles deeply related to the characters, making it perfect for an opportunity to start visiting castles.
Including Oda Nobunaga's Komakiyama Castle (Komaki City, Aichi Prefecture), Gifu Castle (Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture), and Azuchi Castle (Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture), as well as Odani Castle (Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture) of Asai Nagamasa, who married Nobunaga's younger sister Oichi. Tokugawa Ieyasu's Kakegawa Castle (Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture) and Edo Castle (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo). And Osaka Castle (Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture), Ishigakiyama Castle (Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture), and Yamato... associated with the brothers Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Hidenaga.