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Picture: Castle Locations

The need for castles arouse after the central government's authority had weakened in the 15th century and Japan had fallen into the chaotic era of warring states (sengoku jidai). During that era, Japan consisted of dozens of small independent states which were fighting each other and, for defence purposes, were building small castles on top of mountains. The feudal lords of Japanese history, called daimyo, built these castles first and foremost for their own defence. If they were being attacked, they could retreat to their castles, and the donjon, or tower, of the castle would contain plenty of food and weaponry. Also, the daimyo built castles to show their own wealth - the bigger the castle, the wealthier and more powerful the daimyo.

When Oda Nobunaga re-established a central authority over Japan about a century later, and his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi completed the reunification of Japan, many larger castles were built across the country. Unlike the earlier castles, they were built in the plains or on small hills in the plains, where they served as a region's administrative and military headquarters, and became the centres of "castle towns".

With the Meiji Restoration of 1868, castles were no longer a necessity, and as such, the Meiji government passed the Castle Abolishment Law in 1873 to demolish all castles. To the Meiji rulers, castles were a reminder of the days of feudalism, which had ended with their seizure of power. Of the 170 Edo period castles, 2/3 were destroyed by 1875. In recent years, other castles have been lost to fire, earthquakes and World War II, and today only 12 original donjon castles remain. These include Matsumaro, Inuyama, Hikone, Himeji, Maruoka, Matsue, Marugame, Uwajima, Bitchu-Matsuyama, Hirosaki and Matsuyama. Even these 12 have lost much of their original grounds and outer buildings, but all are now protected by Japanese laws.

Castle Structures and Castle Towns

The typical, large castle consisted of three rings of defence, with the so called honmaru ("main circle") in the centre followed by the ninomaru ("second circle") and sannomaru ("third circle"). The castle tower stood in the honmaru, while the lords usually lived at a more comfortable residence in the ninomaru.

The samurai resided in in the town around the castle, the higher their rank, the closer they lived to the castle. Merchants and artisans lived in special areas, while temple and entertainment districts were usually located just outside the city. Like the castle itself, the size of the home of the samurai showed his rank and these were the only houses in the jokamachi allowed to have walls and gates.

Castle towns, or jokamachi, were also an important feature of castles. The jokamachi that grew up around Japanese castles were an extension of the defences of the castles, with many winding, confusing streets and dead ends. Into these towns moved peasants, artisans and businessmen, and some of the jokamachi became Japan's largest cities of today. The Otemon, or main gate, of the jokamachi was very strong and the road leading from there to the castle was heavily fortified and lined with houses of the most loyal retainers.
 

Castle Tower (Tenshukaku) Also known as donjon or castle keep, this is the innermost, best defended and most prominent structure of a castle. Most castle towers have between two to five stories, and there are usually more floors inside than there are stories on the outside.
Guard Tower (Yagura) Also known as turrets, these are watch towers and storage rooms along the castle walls.
Walls and moats Several rings of walls and moats served as a defence measure.

Nagoya Castle

Picture: Nagoya Castle

The area surrounding the castle is one of the oldest settled areas in what is modern day Nagoya. Built in 1612 the old castle town borders correspond to what is today known as Naka ward. The area has traditionally been the centre of government for the city and for Aichi Prefecture in general. You will find a range of government institutions and a number of historically and architecturally significant buildings, so don't limit yourself to a Castle visit alone.

History

Nagoya Castle at Night and Under Lights

Nagoya Castle, following the Edo and Nijo Castles, was the last great castle constructed by Ieyasu Tokugawa and is of significant historical value as it determined the castle style of the Edo shogunate. Particularly the Hommaru Palace, a typical samurai residence with rooms such as the entrance hall, main hall and meeting hall placed in succession, was renowned as a masterpiece of modern castle palaces built between the Azuchi-Momoyama period and the beginning of the Edo period; which ran from the mid 16th to the early 17th century.

Foundation works for the castle started in 1610. The donjons and towers were completed in 1612, and the Hommaru Palace in 1615. Originally the Hommaru Palace was used as a residence and government office of Lord Tokugawa of the Owari Clan but later served as quarters for shoguns who stopped over in this area on their way to Kyoto. The most magnificent building, the Joraku Hall, where the 3rd shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa stayed, was added in 1634.

Nagoya Castle

Like most structures around the world of that era all the stones were collected and moved by hand. Feudal Lords who were ordered to build the walls carved the marks into the stones to distinguish their stones from those of the other feudal lords. These markings can still be seen in some of the walls.

After the Meiji Restoration, the Nagoya Detached Garrison was stationed on the castle grounds and the Army Ministry administered the castle. In 1893, the Imperial Household Ministry assumed the responsibility for the Hommaru and Nishinomaru Palaces and the castle served as the Nagoya Imperial Villa. Brought under the administration of the City of Nagoya in 1930, the donjons and the Hommaru Palace have since been protected as National Treasures.

The castle suffered major damage in May 1945 during an air raid. Most of the structures including the main and small donjons and the Hommaru Palace, were burned down. Fortunately however 3 corner towers, 3 gates, the tea house and gardens, along with most of the paintings on the sliding doors and walls in the Hommaru Palace survived the fire. Although the donjons were rebuilt in 1959 to their original appearance, only the founding stones of the Hommaru Palace are visible today.

Things to See

Nagoya Castle With Founding Stones in Foreground

The best known items associated with Castle are the golden dolphins or kinshachci. These were also destroyed in the bombing raid but were replaced when the main donjon was rebuilt in 1959. Each weighing 88kg they are plated in 18K gold.

The main donjon houses the museum over 5 floors, displaying artefacts and screens representative of the Edo period. Most of the exhibits are shown without English translation, (some are), but that doesn't detract from the experience - you can almost feel the history coming through the walls and floor.

Perhaps the only negative is that photography is not allowed on the main 5 floors, it is only allowed on the 6th floor observation deck.

Meijo Park which surrounds the park is famous for its cherry trees - over 1600. The 630 seat traditional style Nagoya Noh Theatre (Noh is an ancient form of Japanese theatre) opened in April 1997 and is located across the road from the Castles main gate.

Nagoya Castle Dragon Fish

Nearby you'll find;

The Ninomaru Garden, a traditional garden in the Japanese style which employs rocks, trees and water to create the ambience of a mountain forest.

The neo-baroque Nagoya City Archives building. Built in 1922 as a high court today it serves as a museum of Nagoya's civic history.

The Tokugawa Museum, home to some of the most important artefacts of the Tokugawa era, including one of Japan's greatest artistic treasures; the 16th century hand scroll of the Tale of Genji.

It costs 500 yen for adult admission to the castle. The main entrance is located a few hundred meters from the Sengencho station on the Tsurumai Subway line, or, the east entrance is a short walk from the Shiyakusho Station on the Meijo Subway line. Opening hours are 9.00am - 4:30pm 7days.

Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle

In the autumn of 1496 a priest from the Jodo-shinshu Buddhist sect built monk's quarters near the site of the present day Castle. These quarters grew into a large temple called Osaka Hongan-ji. In 1580 the temple fell to Nobunaga Oda, a rising war lord. Only 2 years later Nobunaga Oda committed suicide after losing a battle, and in 1583 Hideyoshi Toyotomi took control and began building, with the assistance of some 60,000 labourers, the present day castle on the site of Osaka Honganji.

During the summer war of 1615 the castle was destroyed by fire. Reconstruction started in 1620, was completed in 1629, and 36 years later, in 1665, the castle was once again destroyed thanks to fire caused by a lightning strike. The castle was rebuilt and destroyed several times until 1931 when the main tower was rebuilt with a steel frame reinforced with concrete.

Even though the Castle received heavy bombing during WWII the main tower escape damage, whereas most of the other castle structures were lost. In 1948 the Castle was protected as a "Historic Site Park", repair work commenced and the main tower was reopened to the public.

The main tower underwent a major renovation in 1997. The outer walls were replastered, ornamental fixtures were added and the gold leaf was re-applied throughout. The castle has a feeling of being old but new at the same time, which is quite strange.

Compared to Nagoya Castle, Osaka Castle has far bigger grounds, with 3 moats - 2 wet & 1 dry, and several more buildings - 13 in total. However, by far the greatest difference between the two is Osaka castles magnificent Nishinomara Gardens. From the manicured lawns, to the carefully crafted flower beds, to the tree lined paths, these gardens are a must see.

Osaka Castle Dragon Fish

The layout of the castle is similar to Nagoya with 7 floors of history about the Castle and the Osaka area. The 8th floor is a shop and viewing platform. No Japanese castle is complete without the gold gilded dragon fish, and Osaka castle has a total of 8.

Of special note are the grand gates and turrets along the outer moat. The steep walls that rise close to 30m high are made from huge blocks of stone that were transported to Osaka from quarries over 100km away. At the entrance to the Main Tower on the left is famous "marker gun," a cannon from the Tokugawa era that was fired every day to signal the noon hour.

If you have the time & patience you can search the walls for the family 'seal' engraved into some of the stones. This is the mark of the family who laid that particular section of the wall. If you visit the displays within the castle first there are examples of what & where to look. It is a nice way to spend a couple of hours & really gives you a connection with the history of the castle.

Summer War Scene

The museum is laid out across 6 floors, with the top floor being an observation deck and shop. The suggested route is to start at the top and work your way down. This is because the museum is laid out in reverse chronological order, i.e. the oldest displays are at he top. However this route requires a fair level of fitness, so we spent a few minutes enjoying the marvellous view from the observation deck wishing we'd taken the holiday route (one floor at a time starting from the bottom) instead.

• 1st floor: Theatre Room, Information, Museum Shop
• 2nd floor: Osaka Castle history (after the Tokugcswa Regime), Replica Dragon Fish, Replica Roof Tiles
• 3rd & 4th floors: Hidegoshi Toyotomi and his era (including models of the castle during this period), a full scale model of The Golden Tea Room (this is the tea room built by Hidegoshi Toyotomi).
• 5th Floor; Scenes from the ''Summer war of Osaka" folding Screen. This includes a miniature battle scene between the forces of Yukimura Sanada and Tadanao Matudaira.
• 6th Floor; the life of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, including his life story depicted in a miniature diorama. Around the walls are a number of monitors displaying holographic images of the Shogun at key points in his life. The narratives lead up to the two fateful sieges, the winter siege of 1614 and the summer siege of 1615, that led to the downfall of the Toyotomi family and the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The Castle is open from 9:00am to 5:00pm and costs ¥600 for adults and is free for children under 16. You can use the JR Osaka loop line getting off at Morinomiya Station (slightly longer walk), or, Tenmabash Station on the Tanimachi Subway line from Umeda Station.
 

Hiroshima Castle

Hiroshima Castle

Built in 1589, totally destroyed in the 1945 A-Bomb blast and rebuilt in 1958, as far as having that "History Oozing From The Walls" feeling this is the poor cousin of Japans castles, however Hiroshima Castle still has plenty to offer.

Hiroshima Castle was built by Mori Terumoto in 1589 at the delta of the Otagawa River. He entered the castle in 1591 to govern 9 provinces that today comprise Hiroshima, Shimane, Yamaguchi and parts of Tottori & Okayama prefectures. Following the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures in 1871, the castle gradually came to serve more as a military facility.

During the Edo period Hiroshima Castle occupied an extensive area, over 1km across, and was surrounded by 3 moats in addition to the Otagawa River which formed a natural moat. However, between the Meiji & Showa periods the outer & middle moats were gradually filled in. Most of the original castle grounds are now occupied by office blocks and schools, and the actual castle grounds now measure about 300m across.

What the Castle lacks in age, it more than makes up for with the quality of its displays, which present as much about ancient Hiroshima as it does on the life & times of those who lived in the castle. In this respect it is possibly the best of castles we have visited in Japan.

The Castle itself is 39.0m from the base of the walls to the tallest point, or 26.6m from the ground, and has 4 floors of displays & an observation deck. The floors are laid out as follows;

• 1st Floor: Ancient Hiroshima, Castle History, Life in the Castle, Castle Defence & the path from fiefs to Prefectures.

• 2nd Floor; Growth of Hiroshima as a Castle town, the difference between the life of a Samurai versus that of the towns folk, Industry & Transportation of the area, Festivals - their meaning & purpose, Education & Culture.

• 3rd Floor: displays of weapons & armour, including a range of Swords dating back to the 18th Century.

• 4th Floor; a range of displays depicting Hiroshimas History & Culture.

• 5th Floor: Observation deck.

There are a few interesting things to see in the castle grounds as you are making your way to castle itself:

• As you enter through the "Niromaru" (2nd Compound) and before you cross the bridge you will notice a eucalyptus tree on the left - this tree actually survived the 1945 A-Bomb blast. It is not alone however, there is another as you cross the bridge: a willow like tree on the right, and a third in the centre of the main compound.

• The ruins of Imperial General Headquarters from when the Castle was a Military post in the 1890s, are close to the steps leading up to the castle entrance.

• Stone blocks impressed with the family seal of the person who built the wall can be found with some effort.

The Hiroshima Castle is a 20min walk N.E. from the Peace Museum and at only ¥360 for adults & ¥180 for Kids its worth a visit.
 

Castle Galleries

Click here to view the Nagoya Castle Picture Gallery

Click here to view the Osaka Castle Picture Gallery

Click here to view the Hiroshima Castle Picture Gallery