Nagoya Castle, originally built by the Owari Domain in 1612 during the Edo period, stands on the site of an earlier Oda clan castle from the Sengoku period. It became the centerpiece of Nagoya-juku, a significant castle town on the Minoji road, which connected two major Edo Five Routes: the Tokaido and the Nakasendo. In 1930, ownership of the castle was transferred to the city by the Imperial Household Ministry, establishing it as the focal point of modern Nagoya. Although partially destroyed in the Pacific War in 1945, the castle has undergone continuous restoration and preservation efforts since 1957.
Nagoya Castle is also known as Meijo, a name echoed in city landmarks like Meijo Park, the Meijo Line on the subway, and Meijo University, underscoring its cultural significance. Historically, it was sometimes referred to as Kinjo, meaning "Golden Castle," after which Kinjo Gakuin University is named.
In 1521-1528, Imagawa Ujichika, military governor of Suruga Province, constructed a precursor castle at Nagoya called Yanagi-no-maru for his son, Imagawa Ujitoyo. In 1532, Oda Nobuhide seized the castle, renamed it Nagoya Castle, and resided there; his son Oda Nobunaga was likely born there in 1534. After moving to Kiyosu Castle in 1555, the Nagoya structure was largely abandoned around 1582.
Following the unification of Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered the castle's reconstruction in 1609, establishing Nagoya as the capital of Owari Province. The castle construction, led by architect Nakai Masakiyo, set architectural standards for the Tokugawa shogunate. Starting in 1610, construction was carried out by over 20 daimyo, including Kato Kiyomasa and Fukushima Masanori, who carved inscriptions on the stones they transported for the castle’s foundation. The main keep was completed in 1612, and the Honmaru Palace was adorned with artwork by Kano Sadanobu in 1614. In 1615, the Honmaru Palace was finalized, with Ninomaru Palace following in 1617. Tokugawa Yoshinao, founder of the Owari Tokugawa lineage, took residence in Ninomaru Palace in 1620.
Renovations continued as the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu visited in 1634, prompting the addition of new chambers and halls, painted by renowned artists such as Kano Tan'yū. Maintenance of the structure persisted, with repairs to the main keep roof and walls in 1669, 1685, and 1720, among other adjustments. By 1827, financial struggles forced the Owari branch to remelt the castle’s golden shachi (mythical dolphins) with less gold, and these were recast twice over the next decades.
Nagoya Castle's military significance dwindled as the Tokugawa Shogunate declined, and in 1870, the Owari Tokugawa submitted the castle to the imperial government. After the German diplomat Max von Brandt intervened to prevent its demolition, Nagoya Castle was preserved. In 1893, it became an Imperial residence and was opened to the public in 1906. After suffering damage from the 1891 Mino–Owari earthquake, the castle was designated a historic site in 1923 and a national treasure in 1930. The following year, it opened to the public as the property of Nagoya City.
During the Pacific War, Nagoya Castle served as a regional army headquarters and endured extensive damage from American air raids, which destroyed the main keep, Honmaru Palace, and several other buildings. Restoration began in 1957 with the reconstruction of the main keeps, which reopened in 1959, followed by further restoration in the 1960s and 1970s.
As part of the 2005 Expo preparations, English-language plaques were installed for visitors, and 3D visualizations of the Honmaru Palace artwork were produced. In 2009, a full reconstruction of Honmaru Palace commenced, which was completed by 2018. Nagoya’s mayor announced plans to restore the main towers to their original wooden structure, with fundraising launched in 2017. Sourcing for hinoki timber began in 2019, with hopes of completing the main towers by 2022.
See also
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Amagasaki Castle
The founding year of Amagasaki Castle is traditionally considered to be 1617, when Toda Ujikané built his castle here, making it the administrative center of the Amagasaki Domain. However, as early as the Sengoku period, a fortress built by the Hosokawa clan already stood on this site. After the fall of Itami Castle in 1579, Araki Murashige—formerly a vassal of Oda Nobunaga who had rebelled against him—fled to this earlier castle.
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Hiroshima Castle
Mōri Terumoto (1553–1625) was the grandson and rightful heir of the renowned Mōri Motonari. When Terumoto became the head of the Mōri clan in 1571, he inherited vast territories covering a large part of the San’in and San’yō regions in western Honshū. In addition, the Mōri clan possessed the largest and most technologically advanced naval fleet of its time.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
