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The castle was built by the Nagai Clan during the Kamakura Period. The Date Clan later took over and the famous warlord Date Masamune was born in the castle. It served as the head castle of the Date Clan for many years. After the Battle of Sekigahara, the castle was given to the Uesugi Clan as punishment for siding against Tokugawa Ieyasu who won the battle, and the Uesugi built up the castle with a three-story donjon, along with moving Uesugi Kenshin's grave to the Uesugi Clan graves from Echigo Province. The castle survived until the Meiji Period when it was ordered to be torn down. Walls and moats remain, and Uesugi Shrine was built where the castle's keep once stood. The grounds are also a popular place for cherry blossom viewing in the spring.
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上杉神社 Uesugi Jinja
A shrine dedicated to Uesugi Kenshin, one of the top daimyo and samurai of the Warring States Period. The flags leading up to the shrine feature the character for "dragon", because Kenshin was known as the Dragon of Echigo Province where he ruled from, and the character "Bi" from the Buddhist war god Bishamonten who he worshipped and whom some followers believed he was the avatar. The shrine is located here, rather than somewhere in Niigata where Echigo Province was located, because the Uesugi Clan was sent here to rule the smaller domain of Yonezawa as punishment for opposing Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Battle of Sekigahara. Within the shrine grounds are the Uesugi Clan graves from the first daimyo of Yonezawa to the 11th. Kenshin's remains are also located here.
上杉博物館
A museum housing artifacts from the Uesugi Clan, including some designated as National Treasures. It has permanent exhibits as well as special exhibits.
東光の酒蔵 Tōkō no sakekan, 酒造資料館
One of the largest sake museums in the Tohoku Region, the museum is located in a renovated historic sake brewery with an attached shop where you can sample and purchase sake.