Arato Castle Site

Arato Castle was built in 1578 by Uesugi Kagekatsu during a succession dispute with his brother after their father Uesugi Kenshin's death. The castle is a mountain-type fortification that used the existing terrain rather than reshaping the landscape, a common approach before the grander hilltop castles of the Warring States period. Walking the trail from the old Mikuni Road, visitors pass earthen embankments, a dry moat between the second and third baileys, and the remnants of a well. At the summit, the main bailey where final defense would have been made offers views toward Yuzawa, now that the forest has regrown around it.