Tsurugaoka Castle was established at the beginning of the 17th century on the site of an earlier, Kamakura-era fortress. Held by the Sakai clan throughout the Edo era, it was abandoned in 1871 and fully dismantled by 1876. The current park, established the following year, hosts a large shrine and is now famous for its cherry blossoms. Little remains of the former castle, save for the grass-covered ruins of its old walls and surrounding moat.