Yonezawa Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
city in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
About Yonezawa
Yonezawa may be an unassuming rural town today, but it was once a grand castle town home to theUesugi clan(上杉氏Uesugi-shi), one of the most powerful families during Japan's Muromachi and Sengoku periods (14-17th century). Legendary warlord Date Masamune, the "One-Eyed Dragon", was born here in 1567. The Uesugi had an epic, centuries-running feud with the Takeda clan of Kai (Yamanashi), but they made the mistake of choosing the wrong side in the Battle ofSekigahara(1600) and as a punishment were reduced to irrelevance by the following Tokugawa shogunate, retaining only a scrap of land around Yonezawa. The castle was flattened in 1873 by order of the Meiji government, but the moat remains the focal point of the city, with Uesugi Shrine built on the castle ruins to commemorate the clan. The
Top Attractions in Yonezawa
Explore the best things to see and do in Yonezawa:
- ★Uesugi Shrine
Where to Eat in Yonezawa
Must-try local food and restaurants:
- 🍴Meat Pia
- 🍴Tade
- 🍴Uesugi Hakushakutei
Yonezawa Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 11 sections including: