Tohoku · YamagataCultural
Grind a stone bead into shape, then shoot a bow, inside a castle keep in the middle of a Yamagata hot-spring town — a hands-on afternoon that costs about the price of a coffee on top of museum entry.
Overview
Kaminoyama Castle (上山城), also known as Tsukioka-jo, was founded in 1535 by Buei Yoshitada. The present keep is a reconstruction housing the city’s local history museum, and the foundation that runs it holds regular hands-on classes in the castle’s multi-purpose hall.
The best-known pairing is magatama carving and archery: magatama are the comma-shaped stone beads worn as ornaments in ancient Japan, and making one means exactly what the organisers’ flyer says it means — grinding, and grinding, and grinding some more.
When and Where
Sessions are scheduled through the year rather than on one fixed annual date. The confirmed 2026 session of the magatama-and-archery class ran on Saturday 1 August, 13:30 to about 15:30.
The full-year calendar is published by the castle, so check it before travelling. The venue is the Kaminoyama Castle multi-purpose hall at 3-7 Motoshironai, Kaminoyama City, Yamagata (tel 023-673-3660), about 15 minutes on foot from JR Kaminoyama-Onsen Station.
What to Expect
- Magatama carving: you grind and polish soft stone into the comma-shaped bead by hand. Capped at 10 participants, advance reservation required, first-come first-served; same-day sign-up is possible if spaces remain.
- Archery (yumiya): no reservation needed at all — walk-ins go straight to the hall.
- Children of elementary-school age and under must be accompanied by a guardian.
- The castle keep itself holds the local history museum, and the grounds include a free foot bath and Tsukioka Park.
- Run by the Kaminoyama Castle Local History Museum Foundation.
Admission and Tickets
Magatama carving costs museum admission plus JPY 500 for materials and insurance. Archery costs museum admission only. Museum admission is JPY 600 for adults, JPY 500 for high-school and university students, and JPY 200 for elementary and junior-high pupils. On Saturdays, school pupils living or studying in Kaminoyama enter free.
Tips for Visitors
Reserve the magatama slot ahead — ten places go fast and the archery is the walk-in half of the pair. Kaminoyama is a hot-spring town, so build the afternoon around a bath: there is a free foot bath in the castle grounds and public onsen within walking distance. The Yamagata Shinkansen stops at Kaminoyama-Onsen, which makes this a workable day trip from Tokyo.
Access and Map
| Dates | Scheduled sessions through the year (2026 session confirmed: 1 August) |
|---|---|
| Time | 13:30–approx. 15:30 |
| Venue | Kaminoyama Castle multi-purpose hall, 3-7 Motoshironai, Kaminoyama, Yamagata |
| Nearest station | JR Kaminoyama-Onsen Station (Yamagata Shinkansen), 15 min walk |
| Admission | Museum entry (adults JPY 600) + JPY 500 for magatama; archery museum entry only |
| Official site | yamagatakanko.com |
Source: Yamagata Prefecture Official Tourism Site
Image: Photo: 掬茶 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) — licence
