You will hear the castle being called both Tsurugajou and Wakamatsujou. Originally the castle was named Kurokawa Yakata by Ashina Naomori. When Gamou Ujisato reformed the castle, he named it both Tsurugajou and Wakamatsujou. In 1934, when the castle grounds were designated as a national historical site, the name on the register was Wakamatsujou. Both Tsurugajou and Wakamatsujou are now in current use, but almost everyone refers to the current castle Tsurugajou. (Sometimes the ruins of the older castles are referred to as the ruins of Wakamatsujou.) Tsuru means crane.