After the battle in 1600, Gifu Castle was abandoned, instead, Tokugawa Shogunate built Kano Castle in a nearby plain area. In 1910, the first imitation Main Tower was built by the local people. The present Main Tower is the second generation which was built in 1956. Both of them are seen as important symbols of city and have been contributing to the increase in tourism. As the excavations and studies improve in recent years, the area around Mt. Kinkazan is focused on as a historic spot. As a result, it has been a National Historic Site as the ruins of Gifu Castle since 2011.
The present imitation Main TowerA view from the top of the mountain
My Impression
I actually thought that the Gifu Castle was just on the top of mountain, until recently. After I visited and learned more about the castle, I found that it offered many perspectives. Especially, Nobunaga Oda received and improved it on his own way. He used the potential abilities of the castle to increase his authority. I think that something new about the castle will be discovered again soon to surprise us.
The replica of the wooden statue of Nobunaga Oda (Gifu Castle Museum)The ruins of Nobunaga’s residence on the foot of the mountain
How to get There
If you want to visit there by car: It is about 6 km away from Kagamigahara IC on Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway. The Gifu Park offers a parking lot. By public transportation, take the Gifu Bus from the No.12 or 13 bus stops at JR Gifu Station, and get off at the Gifu-Koen-Rekishi-Hakubutsukan-Mae bus stop. To get JR Gifu Station from Tokyo: Get the Tokaido Shinkansen Super Express, and transfer to Tokaido Local Line at Nagoya Station.
Please pay attention to both the top and foot of the mountain.
Features
The map around the castle
To Castle Ruins on Top
Now, the area around Mt. Kinkazan has become one of the most popular tourist spots in the Gifu Prefecture. You can easily go to the top of the mountain by the Kinkazan Ropeway. If you want to climb up there, it is common to use the Nanamagari Trail which was the Main Route for the castle. The tail is relatively gently sloped, so it takes around one hour to reach the top, climbing to about 300m from the ground.
A view of the Main Tower from the city areaThe beginning of the Nanamagari TrailThe Nanamagari TrailGoing to the top
The top is actually also a tourist spot where the ropeway terminal, a restaurant, a zoo, and the imitation Main Tower stand. The routes around the top have also been paved in a modern style. However, you can see rocky surfaces made of chert everywhere on the top. As for the ruins of the castle, there are the ruins of the First Gate where the huge stones for the gate collapsed. After seeing the defensive trenches called “Horikiri”, next comes the ruins of the Second Gate. Their plaster walls have been rebuilt recently, but some of the stone walls are original. You should check out the two steps of stone walls under the route from the Second Gate to the Main Tower. The method for building the stone walls is very old, so it is thought that they were built by Nobunaga.
Arriving at the topThe ruins of the First GateThe huge stones for the gateThe defensive trenches called “Horikiri”The ruins of the Second GateThe stone walls under the route to the Main TowerThe stone walls have two tiers
A Great View from Main Tower
The imitation Main Tower was built in 1956, based on the drawings of the Three-Story Turret in Kano Castle. The turret was burned in the Edo Period, but there was a rumor that it might have been moved from the Gifu Castle. The interior of the tower is used as a museum which exhibits the history of the castle and Nobunaga. The top floor is also a sightseeing tower where you can see a great view of the area around, including Nagara-gawa River. The stone wall base of the tower looks very old. In fact, the stones are original, but the style is not, as the stones were re-piled when the tower was rebuilt.
The imitation Main TowerA view from the Main Tower (Nagaragawa River side)A view from the Main Tower (Mountain side)The stone walls for the Main Tower
You can also climb down on another tail, for example, from the ruins of the Back Gate. The gate also used huge stones of which you can see the remains on the route. After going down for a while, you can also see the huge, holy rock called “Eboshi-iwa”. The Inaba Shrine was originally located around the rock.
The ruins of the Back Gate.The remaining huge stonesYou can see rocky surfaces made of chert here and thereThe Eboshi-iwa Rock
Ruins of Nobunaga’s Residence
At the foot of the mountain, I recommend that you visit the ruins of Nobunaga’s palace residence, because, in fact, it might have been the center of the castle. At the entrance, you can see the remains of the alternate huge stones which were 1.7m high in the past. Walking up the stairs around the terraced stone walls, there is an empty spacious space where the main building was constructed. In the back of it, there were also buildings for the tearoom and sightseeing with an artificial water garden using huge stones. Another pond garden was next to it, and an artificial river flew from the fountain between them. Moreover, these gardens were connected to the main building by the air corridors. Nobunaga seemed to use his palace residence for official ceremonies and for hosting important visitors.
The entrance of the residence ruinsThe stairs to the ruins of the main buildingThe ruins of the main buildingThe ruins of the gardensThe imaginary drawing of around the gardens (Gifu Castle Museum)The residence ruinsThe imaginary drawing of the residence (from the signboard at the site)
The castle for Nobunaga Oda to unify the nation by force
Location and History
Castle protected by Mt. Kinkazan and Nagara-gawa River
If you go from Nagoya City to Gifu City, the prefectural capital of Gifu Pref. through the Nobi Plain, the first high mountain you will see is Mt. Kinkazan with the Main Tower on the top. This is Gifu Castle. It may have been very common for warriors to build their castle on such an outstanding spot. The Nagara-gawa River also flows on the north and west of the castle as a part of the natural terrain and served as a defense mechanism for the castle.
The location of the castle
Mt. Kinkazan (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Nobunaga Oda declares Unify Nation by Force
It is said that the Nikaido Clan first built the castle in the 13th Century, but the details are uncertain. In the mid 16th Century, the Saito Clan improved the castle which until then, was called Inabayama Castle. In 1567, Nobunaga Oda took over the castle from the Saito Clan, and moved his home base from Komakiyama Castle to this castle. At the same time, he renamed the castle Gifu Castle, which comes from the hometown’s name of an ancient Chinese Dynasty, Shou. He also started using his seal of “Tenka-Fubu” or Unify the Nation by Force for his documents. This was seen as Nobunaga’s declaration of his intention for the unification of Japan.
The portrait of Nobunaga Oda, attributed to Soshu Kano, owned by Chokoji Temple, in the late 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The seal of Unify the Nation by Force (licensed by 百楽兎 via Wikimedia Commons)
However, even according to the excavations, it is still not entirely sure what the top of the mountain looked like and if there was a Main Tower or not. Some gates and stone walls were built, but the natural terrain on the mountain was not modified so much. Some historians speculate this is because the mountain was originally a sanctuary spot where its rocky terrain itself could be the object of worship. There was actually an Inaba Shrine on the mountain before the Saito Clan improved the castle. Nobunaga lived on the top of the mountain with his family and relatives, and usually didn’t allow other people to climb on the mountain.
The miniature model of the top of Mt. Kinkazan (Gifu Castle Museum)
Featured Nobunaga’s Palace Residence
On the other hand, at the western foot of the mountain called Keyakitdani, Nobunaga’s residence, which was like a luxurious palace, was built. The residence had four stories covering the terraced terrain with golden foiled roof tiles. The foundation of the residence was built with stone walls, in particular, and its entrance was decorated by huge stone walls. The back of the residence had deluxe artificial gardens also with huge stones. The way of building the castle is said to have led to the next way for building the Azuchi Castle later.
The imaginary drawing of Nobunaga’s residence (Gifu Castle Museum)
After Nobunaga died, his relatives continued to govern the castle. In 1600, when Hidenobu Oda, Nobunaga’s grandchild was the lord of the castle, the battle of Sekigahara happened. Hidenobu supported the Western Army led by Mitsunari Ishida, while the Eastern Army under the Tokugawa Shogunate attacked Gifu Castle. Hidenobu was defeated and it is said that the buildings Nobunaga built were burned down during the battle.
The portrait of Hidenobu Oda, owned by Raikoji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
