Gifu Castle, once known as Inabayama Castle, has stood as a symbol of Gifu City and a hallmark of the tumultuous Sengoku period for over eight centuries. Initially constructed by the Nikaido clan around 1201, it underwent expansions and fortifications by influential daimyo such as the Saito clan of Mino and the Oda clan of Owari.
Perched atop the formidable Mt. Kinka, formerly Mt. Inaba, the castle's strategic location, standing 329 meters tall, commanded a view over the surrounding landscape, with the Nagara River flowing below, serving as a natural moat. Despite its reputation as an impregnable fortress, Gifu Castle fell to a mere sixteen samurai in a surprising turn of events.
The mastermind behind this audacious conquest was Takenaka Hanbei, military advisor to the castle lord, Saito Tatsuoki. Despite his frail appearance, Hanbei's tactical genius proved formidable. Incensed by a humiliating incident where a samurai of Gifu Castle insulted him, Hanbei orchestrated a clever ruse, leading to Tatsuoki's panicked retreat and the castle's swift capture.
Subsequently, Oda Nobunaga, having heard of Hanbei's feat, requested possession of the castle, but Hanbei, loyal to his lord, returned control to Tatsuoki before departing from service. However, Gifu's fortunes continued to fluctuate. Nobunaga later seized the castle in 1567, reinforcing it as a pivotal stronghold in his quest to unify Japan.
Under Nobunaga's rule, Gifu Castle underwent significant renovations, boasting the nation's first official castle tower, or tenshu. While the mountain peak housed a watchtower, the main castle complex sprawled at the base, featuring a grand four-story golden palace and expansive gardens, a testament to Nobunaga's opulence and power.
Portuguese Jesuit Missionary Fr. Louis Frois praised Gifu's prosperity, dubbing it a "bustling Babylon" and highlighting its significance in trade and commerce. However, Gifu's glory was short-lived. Damaged in the lead-up to the Battle of Sekigahara, the castle faced further destruction at the hands of Tokugawa forces, culminating in its dismantlement by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1601 to deter dissent.
Despite successive reconstructions, including a concrete replica built in 1956, Gifu Castle's legacy endures through ongoing research and restoration efforts. Recent discoveries shed light on its architectural intricacies, offering insights into Nobunaga's vision and strategic prowess, ensuring that the castle's story remains a captivating chapter in Japanese history.
Siehe auch
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Kubota Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be Satake Yoshinobu (1570–1633). Yoshinobu was one of the six great generals of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. During the Odawara Campaign of 1590, he took part in the siege of Oshi Castle under the command of Ishida Mitsunari, with whom Yoshinobu developed a good relationship.
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Kavanhoe Castle
Kawanoe Castle is located on the small Wasi-yama hill near the port area of the Kawanoe district in the city of Shikokuchuo, occupying a central position along the northern coast of Shikoku Island. Kawanoe was also known as Butsuden Castle. The term “butsuden” in Japan refers to temple halls, and for this reason it is believed that a Buddhist temple once stood on the site before the castle was built. Due to its location at the junction of four provinces on Shikoku Island, Kawanoe held significant strategic importance and was repeatedly targeted by rival forces seeking military control over the region.
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Yokote Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be the Onodera clan. The Onodera were originally a minor clan from Shimotsuke Province and served Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199), the founder of the first shogunate. The Onodera distinguished themselves in battle against the Fujiwara clan of the Ōshū branch and were rewarded with lands around Yokote. Around the 14th century, the Onodera moved to Yokote as their permanent residence. Their original stronghold was Numadate Castle, but after a series of clashes with the powerful Nambu clan, they relocated their base to the site of present-day Yokote Castle. It was likely during this time that the first fortifications appeared at the castle.
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Wakayama Castle
Wakayama Castle was built in 1585, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered his uterine brother, Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hidenaga, to construct a castle on the site of the recently captured Ota Castle. The purpose of this construction was to secure control over the likewise newly conquered Province of Kii. Following an already established tradition, Hidenaga entrusted the project to his castle-building expert, Todo Takatora. Takatora carefully inspected the future castle site, personally drew up several designs, created a model of the planned castle, and took part in the work of laying out the grounds (nawabari). For the construction he brought in more than 10,000 workers and completed the large-scale project within a single year, which was considered extremely fast by the standards of the time.
Toyama Castle
Toyama Castle is located almost in the very center of the former province of Etchū and is surrounded by a wide plain with a large number of rivers. The very first castle on the banks of the Jinzu River was built in 1543 by Jimbo Nagamoto. The Jimbo clan were vassals of the Hatakeyama clan and governed the western part of Etchū Province. The eastern part of the province belonged to their rivals, the Shiina clan, who were also Hatakeyama vassals. Beginning in the 15th century, the influence of the ancient Hatakeyama clan gradually weakened, and as a result, the Jimbo and the Shiina fought constant wars for control of the province. Meanwhile, the forces of the Ikkō-ikki movement periodically intervened, helping first one side and then the other.
Takada Castle
During the Sengoku period, the lands where Takada Castle would later be built were part of Echigo Province and were controlled by the Uesugi clan.
Kishiwada Castle
The celebrated 14th-century military commander Kusunoki Masashige (1294–1336), who owned extensive lands south of what is now the city of Osaka, ordered one of his vassals, Kishiwada Osamu, to build a fortified residence. This order was carried out around 1336. These fortifications became the first structures on the site of what would later become Kishiwada Castle. From the beginning, the castle stood in a strategically important location—roughly halfway between the cities of Wakayama and Osaka, south of the key port of Sakai. Because of this position, it changed hands several times during periods of warfare.
Kaminoyama Castle
Kamino-yama Castle stood at the center of an important logistics hub, in the middle of the Yonezawa Plain, which served as the gateway to the western part of the Tohoku region. Roads connecting the Aizu, Fukushima, and Yamagata areas intersected here.
