In 1440, Japan was in the Muromachi Period, the early phase of the violent Sengoku, or Warring States period, marked by frequent localized wars. To control territories, many castles were built. One local warrior capitalized on the strategically situated 85-meter-high Inuyama Hill, surrounded by the natural moat of the Kiso River, offering clear views of the Nobi Plain and the ancient lands of Owari (Western Aichi) and Mino (Gifu).
Almost a century later, in 1537, Oda Nobuyasu, grandfather of the great Oda Nobunaga, took the hill and fortress, also known as Hakutei Castle. Recognizing its strategic importance, the Oda clan constructed a larger, sturdier, and more elegant castle. This became the first castle owned outright by Oda Nobunaga, although he left his uncle as a caretaker while he engaged in further battles.
Inuyama Castle, classified as a Hirayama-jiro, is the oldest of Japan's 12 remaining original castles. Located in Aichi Prefecture, it may seem small compared to others like Nagoya or Osaka castles. Its stone walls stand just five meters high, with the tower itself a mere 19 meters on top of that. The total floor space of the defensive tower structure is around 699 square meters, comparable to Hikone Castle, which is quite large for its time.
Today, only the keep, the main watchtower, remains. The lord's living quarters once occupied the wide flat area along the lower slopes of the mountain, which was fortified with turrets, barracks, walled corridors, and related buildings. Inuyama had nine yagura watchtowers around its perimeter and two main gates, with six smaller gates protecting the Honmaru.
Unlike most castles that name their precincts Honmaru, Ni-no-Maru, San-no-Maru, etc., Inuyama Castle's five baileys were named after trees, with the Honmaru at the top, and the lower slopes consisting of the Sumi, Momi, Kiri, and Matsu kuruwa.
The castle's architectural beauty is evident both inside and out. The tower is a four-story Borogata-type keep, with entry via the smallest anakura (basement) of all the castles in Japan. Steep stairs, built to save space and hinder armored invaders, lead to the spacious first floor.
The keep appears to be square, yet the northeastern corner features the widest open angle of any keep in Japan, providing better views and increased firing range along the eastern flank. The first floor is divided into several rooms, including the Jodan-no-Ma, the lord's official audience chamber, which is rare to find in a tower keep. This room features hidden doors in the wall, behind which the lord's bodyguards or a private retreat could be found.
Wide corridors called Musha-Bashiri (warrior running corridors) around these central rooms allowed defenders ample space to move during an attack. The first-floor Musha-Bashiri has six places where sliding doors once stood, reflecting an old style seen in Oda Nobunaga's Azuchi and Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Osaka Castles. However, these doors would hinder warriors' movements, preventing them from running around the central area.
Climbing to the second floor, you find the armory where weapons and armor were stored. The third story features wide outer corridors for warriors, especially archers, to move freely. Above that, small balconies under triangular eaves (hafu) provide fine views of the river and mountains and serve as firing positions. The fourth floor is a wide chamber with a low balcony offering spectacular views of the surrounding area.
The mid-section karahafu decorative curved roofing element and extended yagura watchtower were added during the Naruse years.
Inuyama Castle saw significant action, notably during the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute in 1584 when Toyotomi Hideyoshi used it as a base against Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1600, it was threatened during the Battle of Sekigahara. The night before the battle, daimyo Takenaka Shigekado defected to the Eastern forces, and Ishikawa Sadakiyo, the lord of Inuyama, made a secret deal with the Eastern forces, securing the castle's future.
After a succession of lords, Naruse Masanori took control in 1617, and the castle remained in the Naruse family for generations. In 1871, after the feudal system ended, many of the castle's outer walls and buildings were destroyed. The main keep survived but was damaged in the 1890 Great Nobi Earthquake. The former Lord Naruse undertook repairs, and in 1935, Inuyama Castle was designated a National Treasure. It remained in the Naruse family's care until 2004 when it was handed over to Inuyama City and a new overseeing foundation.
Inuyama Castle is a fine example of 16th-century castle architecture and a treasured symbol of Inuyama City.
See also
-
Fukuyama Castle
After the defeat of Toyotomi Hideyori’s supporters in the Osaka Campaigns of 1614–1615, many clans in Japan still remained not fully loyal to the Tokugawa shogunate, especially in the western Chūgoku region. Mizuno Katsunari (1564–1651), a cousin of Tokugawa Ieyasu, became the first of the Tokugawa house’s close retainers, the so-called fudai daimyō, to be relocated to this strategically important area.
-
Tiba Castle
The founder of the Chiba clan is considered to be Chiba Tsunesige (1083–1180), who in 1126 moved his residence to the Inohana area and built a strongly fortified stronghold there. Although Tsunesige himself came from the Taira clan, the Chiba clan later supported Minamoto no Yoritomo, the future founder of the first shogunate.
-
Sunomata Castle
Oda Nobunaga, as part of his “final solution” to the conflict with the Saitō clan, conceived the construction of a fort in the Sunomata area, which was intended to serve as a forward base for an attack on Inabayama Castle (later renamed Gifu). Sunomata was a swampy area located between Ogaki Castle, a stronghold of the Oda clan, and Inabayama, the main fortress of the Saitō clan. Earlier attempts to build fortifications in this area, carried out by Oda generals Sakuma Nobumori and Shibata Katsuie, had all ended in failure. After that, the task was entrusted to the young vassal Kinoshita Tokichirō, who later became known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
-
Shibata Castle
The exact time when structures first appeared on the site of the present-day castle is unknown; however, it is generally believed that the first fortified buildings were constructed here during the Muromachi period, when these lands were controlled by the Shibata clan.
-
Okayama Castle
According to a number of accounts, the earliest fortifications on the site of present-day Okayama Castle appeared as early as the 14th century and were built by the Nawa clan. The Asahigawa River was used as a natural defensive barrier, protecting one side of the fortifications.
In the early 16th century, the Kanamitsu clan constructed a new castle here, which at the time was known as Ishiyama. In 1573, it came under the control of the Ukita clan, after which Ukita Naoie (1529–1582) launched large-scale reconstruction efforts. He did not live to see the work completed, and construction was continued by his son Hideie. -
Nagahama Castle
Hashiba, later known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, received Odani Castle and the surrounding lands from Oda Nobunaga after the defeat of the Azai clan. However, Odani Castle was located high in the mountains, which made it poorly suited for the effective administration of the territory. For this reason, in 1575 Hideyoshi began constructing a new castle in the village of Imahama on the shore of Lake Biwa. Taking the character naga from Nobunaga’s name, he renamed both the village and the new castle Nagahama.
-
Kokura Castle
Kokura Castle is traditionally considered to have been founded by Hosokawa Tadaoki (1563–1645), although by the time the Hosokawa clan came to control these lands, the fortification had already existed since at least 1569 and was most likely built by members of the Mori clan.
-
Ikeda Castle
In 1334, Ikeda Noriyoshi built a small fort on this site, which over time was repeatedly expanded and rebuilt. During the Ōnin War of 1467–1477, the Ikeda clan supported the Western Coalition. As a result, Ikeda Castle was attacked and captured by the forces of the Eastern Coalition, but it was soon recaptured, allowing it to avoid serious destruction.
