- Type
- Castle
- Built
- 1610 · 17th century
- Site origins
- 1532 per Wikidata – an earlier stronghold or first mention
- Location
- Aichi Prefecture, Japan
- Coordinates
- 35.1856°, 136.8986°
History
Work on the castle began in 1610 on the orders of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who built it for his son Yoshinao, founder of the Owari line, one of the three branch houses eligible to provide a shogun. Feudal lords from western Japan were obliged to build the stone walls, and the keep was finished in just two years. The castle survived the Meiji era and in 1930 became the first castle in Japan to be named a National Treasure, but in May 1945 an American air raid destroyed the keep and the palace. The keep was rebuilt in reinforced concrete in 1959, the Honmaru Palace was faithfully reconstructed between 2009 and 2018, and the city plans to replace the concrete keep with a wooden reconstruction.
What to see
The highlight is the reconstructed Honmaru Palace, whose sliding panels are covered in colourful Kanō school paintings on gold, with finely carved transoms and ceilings. Outside you can admire the keep topped by its golden shachihoko and the original corner turrets and gates that survived the war. Look closely at the wall stones to spot the carved marks of the clans that supplied them, while the Ninomaru garden and the castle park are famous for cherry blossom.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q648629
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