Japan's Top 100 Castles日本１００名城

Japan's Top 100 Castles is a selection of one hundred famous castles across Japan, chosen in 2006 by the Japan Castle Foundation. The selection criteria include the castle's renown, cultural and historical value, and the accuracy of its restoration. Experts in history and architecture conducted the evaluation, selecting 100 castles deemed particularly valuable.

Japan has many castle enthusiasts and fans, and the "Japan Top 100 Castles Commemorative Stamp Rally," which began in 2007, has been very popular. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Agency for Cultural Affairs supported the selection, aiming to utilize these castles as places for historical education and lifelong learning.

These famous castles, which also serve as significant tourist attractions, have long been cherished as symbols representing their regions by many Japanese people. The selection of Japan's Top 100 Castles is an effort to reassess their value from a contemporary perspective and add new appeal to these castles. Today, many of them are maintained and preserved as tourist resources, with well-developed transportation access and facilities such as adjacent museums to accommodate visitors. Many of these castles are included in standard tourist routes, making them easily accessible, which is a major advantage.