Construction of Kanazawa Castle began in 1580 on the orders of Sakuma Morimasa, a vassal of Oda Nobunaga. The castle was built on the site of the Ikko-ikki sect's Oyama Gobo temple, which is why it is sometimes called Oyama Castle. Morimasa managed to build several moats and begin construction of a castle town. However, after his defeat at the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583, he was executed, and ownership of the castle passed to Maeda Toshiie (1538–1599).
Maeda Toshiie had been in the service of Oda Nobunaga since 1551 and during that time rose from page to general. He participated in many battles: at Okehazama (1560), Moribe (1561), Anegawa (1570), Nagashino (1575), Shizugatake (1583), as well as in the Komaki-Nagakute (1584) and Odawara (1590) campaigns. After Nobunaga's death, he entered the service of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and held a position in the command headquarters in Kyushu during the Korean campaign. Before his death, Hideyoshi appointed him one of the five regents for the young heir Toyotomi Hideyori.
In 1583, Toshie completed the construction of the castle, and in 1590, he began a large-scale reconstruction, significantly expanding the complex. Kanazawa Castle occupied an impressive area of 600 by 400 meters and included four courtyards located in terraces from south to north. The main courtyard, hommaru, stood on the southern hill. A five-story, six-level donjon, tenshukaku, was built here, but it burned down in 1602 and was never rebuilt. After that, hommaru gradually fell into disrepair.
Below was the second courtyard, the ninomaru, separated from the hommaru by walls and a moat. It was here that the ruler's palace was located, making it the main center of the castle during the Edo period. Further down was the third courtyard, Sannomaru, also surrounded by walls and a moat. The entrance to the castle was guarded by a complex barbican gate called Ishikawa-mon. The lowest level was the fourth courtyard, Shinmaru, which housed the administrative buildings of the Kaga domain.
Throughout its history, the castle suffered from fires on several occasions, the last of which occurred in 1881 and destroyed many buildings. Nevertheless, the Maeda clan ruled the Kaga province from Kanazawa Castle for 14 generations, until the Meiji Restoration. During World War II, it was used as a military base for the Imperial Army, and after the war, it became the campus of Kanazawa University, which was relocated in 1995.
Some elements of the castle have survived since its foundation. The moats and stone walls of Ishigaki, as well as two 19th-century buildings, the Sanjyukken Nagaya warehouse tower (1858) and the Tsurumaru warehouse (1848), have survived to this day. The Ishikawa-mon gate complex has been preserved in its 1788 reconstruction and consists of a masugata, a barbican with a large yagura-mon gate and a small korai-mon gate. These structures, along with the Sanjyukken Nagaya tower and the Tsurumaru warehouse, have been designated as Important Cultural Properties.
In 2001, with the support of Sumitomo Corporation and local authorities, a large-scale reconstruction of the castle began. The first buildings to be restored were the Ninomaru: the Tsuzuki Yagura and Hishi Yagura towers, connected by the Gojikken Nagaya gallery. Their appearance was recreated based on mid-19th century drawings using traditional techniques and authentic materials. In 2001, these towers were opened to the public, and the Gojikken Nagaya, whose name translates as “long tower 50 ken (about 90 meters) long,” housed an exhibition dedicated to construction methods.
In 2010, the Kahokumon gate complex, which protected the bridge between the fourth and third courtyards, was restored. In 2015, the Hasizumemon gate barbican complex, which covered the main bridge between the third and second courtyards, was reconstructed next to the Tsuzukimon tower. In the same year, the Gyokusen Inmaru garden was recreated on the castle grounds.
The most recent reconstruction dates back to 2020 and concerns the Nezumitamon gate, a tower-type structure that burned down in a fire in 1884. The gate was named “mouse” because of the gray, “mouse-colored” plaster that covered it.
In 2006, the Japanese Castle Society included Kanazawa Castle in its list of “100 Outstanding Castles of Japan.” In addition, the entire complex has official status as a “National Historic Site.”
See also
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle
Aizu-Wakamatsu is the most powerful and at the same time the oldest castle in the Tōhoku region in the north of Honshu Island. Its history begins in the 14th century and is closely connected with the Ashina clan, whose members claimed descent from the legendary Taira family.
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Maruoka Castle
Maruoka Castle is located in the central part of the former city of Maruoka, which is now part of the city of Sakai. This area lies in the northeastern part of Fukui Prefecture. The castle was built on the bank of the Kuzuryu River, on the side opposite Fukui City, which once served as the administrative center of the former Echizen Province. Thanks to its location, Maruoka held significant strategic importance, as it controlled two major routes at once: the Hokurikudo highway leading from Kaga Province and the Mino Kaido road connecting these lands with Mino Province.
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Marugame Castle
Marugame is part of the so-called “Authentic Dozen,” a group of twelve castles whose donjons have survived to the present day without major reconstructions since the Edo period.
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Iyo Matsuyama Castle
Historically, the center of Iyo Province—corresponding to today’s Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku—was the city of Imabari, while the Matsuyama area was regarded as an agricultural hinterland with broad plains and low hills. During the Muromachi period, the central part of the province was governed by the Kano clan from Yuzuki Castle. With the onset of the Sengoku period, however, this clan lost its former influence and was forced to survive in the shadow of the more powerful Mori and Chōsokabe clans. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s forces conquered Shikoku in 1587, the northern part of Iyo Province was granted to Fukushima Masanori, one of the so-called “Seven Spears of Shizugatake.” In 1595, Masanori was transferred to Kiyosu Castle, and the lands around Matsuyama were given to another of the Seven Spears, Katō Yoshiaki, who received Masaki Castle and an income of 60,000 koku of rice.
