Azuchi Castle Ruins

Azuchi Castle was ordered by Oda Nobunaga in 1576 (Tensho 4) and took about three years to complete. Today, only the stone walls remain, and it is designated as a Special Historic Site.

Located at the top of Mt. Azuchi, about 200 meters above sea level, the stonewalls and foundation stones still remind us of those days more than 400 years later.

Azuchi Castle was the first castle in Japan built by Oda Nobunaga with a five-story, seven-story main keep. It was built over a period of about three years starting in 1576 as the dawn of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. However, after the Honnoji Incident, the castle and the castle town were burned to the ground when Oda Nobunaga fell, and the famous castle was reduced to ashes in just three years.

The moat on the south side of Mt. Azuchi still retains vestiges of those days. The foundation stones remain at the ruins of the castle tower and Honmaru, and the mausoleum of Oda Nobunaga, built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, is located at the ruins of Ninomaru.

There is also a magnificent stone wall near the Kurokinmon Gate, a short distance down to the east from the ruins of the castle tower. Further along the mountainside are the ruins of the vassals’ residences, and further north along the mountain ridge are Hakkakudaira and Yakushidaira.

Passages to the central part of the castle mountain include the East Gateway, the Hyakunabashiguchi Road, and the Lente Road, in addition to the Ote Road, which enters from the south front.

The outer surface of the castle is said to have been red, blue, or white on each level, with the uppermost level being gold. Inside, there are rooms decorated with ink paintings by Kano Eitoku and rooms finished in gold and blue.

It is said to be the culmination of the best Japanese technology and art of the time. Azuchi Castle is considered to be the first full-fledged construction of a castle in Japan, and is the site of a famous castle that has made its mark on history.

At that time, Lake Biwa and swamps surrounded the area on all sides, but now the land has been reclaimed for lake reclamation and rice paddies are spreading. The western lake is especially beautiful when viewed from the ruins of Mi-ji Temple, and the few remaining remains of Nobunaga’s grave site at Ninomaru, and the ruins of the residences of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Maeda Toshiie, and others tell the story of the Warring States Period.

Nobunaga Oda was born in 1534 and grew up in Owari, but became lord of Gifu Castle in Eiroku 10 and spent 10 years in the east before moving to Azuchi. At that time, he changed the name of Inokuchi to Gifu. However, he was killed in the Honnoji Incident.

Azuchi Castle is a Japanese castle located in Shimotoyoura, Azuchi-cho, Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture. The castle ruins are designated as a national special historic site and included in the Lake Biwa National Park Type 1 Special Area.

It was built by Nobunaga Oda on what is now Mt. Azuchi, and its majestic appearance was very impressive, with a large keep (also called “tenshu”). The castle had six stories above ground and one below, and the height of the tenshu was approximately 32 meters.

It is estimated that Azuchi Castle had an unusual design for a Japanese castle of its time, and was gorgeously built. Oda Nobunaga’s vassals made a concerted effort to build the castle.

The castle was built for such reasons as “to prepare for revolts in Echizen and Kaga” and “to warn against Kenshin Uesugi,” since it was conveniently located near Kyoto and had access to water transportation from Lake Biwa, as well as being at a strategic point on the Hokuriku Highway to Kyoto.

The castle was built to symbolize the unification of Japan and to make its presence known to the people at a glance. Nobunaga and his family lived in the castle’s main house on the top of the mountain, while his vassals lived in mansions on the hillside and in the castle town.

However, after the rebellion by Nobunaga’s vassal Akechi Mitsuhide (the Honnoji Incident) in 1582, Azuchi Castle was burned to the ground.

Today, only a few remains, such as the stone walls, remain, but information recorded by missionary Luis Frois and others gives us an idea of what the castle looked like before it was burned down.

The construction techniques of Azuchi Castle occupy an important place in the history of castles in Japan, and it was the first castle with a keep built on a stone wall. The castle-building technique spread throughout the country from the Azuchi-Momoyama period to the early Edo period.

The Ano-shu, a group of stone wall craftsmen who constructed the stone walls of Azuchi Castle, were active throughout the country and were the catalyst for the construction of castles using stone walls in many parts of Japan.

The remains of Azuchi Castle are spread over the entire Mt. Azuchi and can still be seen today in the precincts of Soumi-ji Temple, where the Niomon gate and three-story pagoda still remain, and the mausoleum of Nobunaga established in the Ninomaru area.

Azuchi-Momoyama Period

In 1576, Oda Nobunaga appointed Niwa Nagahide as the general contractor and began construction of a castle on Azuchi Mountain, which was a branch castle of the Rokkaku clan, the protector of the Omi region.

In 1579, the castle tower was completed and Nobunaga himself moved into the castle. However, around the same year, the missionary Luis Frois recorded that the main castle was destroyed by fire due to a lightning strike.

On May 15, 1582, Azuchi Castle was busy with activities, including a visit by Tokugawa Ieyasu.

However, after Oda Nobunaga committed suicide in the Honnoji Incident on May 29 of the same year, Akechi forces occupied Azuchi Castle. After the Battle of Yamazaki, the main building and the main citadel of Azuchi Castle were destroyed by fire.

The castle was then temporarily used as a residence of the Oda clan, and Oda Hidenobu, a grandson of Oda Nobunaga, entered the castle. However, the castle was reportedly abandoned in 1585 (Tensho 13) due to Toyotomi Hidetsugu’s construction of Hachimanyama Castle.