Gifu Castle

Gifu Castle, located atop Mount Kinka in Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, was originally known as Inabayama Castle and is a mountain fortress with a long history. It existed as early as the Kamakura period, but it was during the Sengoku period—under two legendary figures, Saitō Dōsan and Oda Nobunaga—that the castle truly took center stage in Japanese history.

Saitō Dōsan first carried out large-scale renovations, making the castle his political base. In 1567, Oda Nobunaga captured the fortress during the Battle of Inabayama Castle, moved his base there, and renamed it “Gifu Castle.” According to the Shinchō Kōki (“The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga”), Nobunaga also changed the name of the surrounding area from “Inokuchi” to “Gifu,” symbolizing his ambition for tenka fubu (“All the world under military rule”) and the unification of Japan. From that point, the castle became the starting point of Nobunaga’s rise to power.

The structure of Gifu Castle was highly impressive, with the entire Mount Kinka serving as a natural defensive stronghold. The mountaintop fortifications, the residence at the mountain’s base, and the connecting paths together formed an impregnable fortress system. Archaeological research reveals that during Nobunaga’s era, his residence was located on the western foot of Mount Kinka in the Tsukidani area. It featured ponds, gardens, and lavish buildings—an embodiment of both authority and refined taste—so remarkable that the Portuguese missionary Luís Fróis, who visited at the time, recorded his impressions.

After Nobunaga, the castle was held by a succession of lords, including Oda Nobutada, Oda Nobukatsu, Ikeda Motosuke, Ikeda Terumasa, and Toyotomi Hidenaga. However, during the lead-up to the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Gifu Castle—then defended by Oda Hidenobu on the Western Army’s side—fell to Eastern Army forces under Ikeda Terumasa and Fukushima Masanori. In 1601, Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered the castle dismantled, marking the end of its role in history.

Although the original structures are long gone, Gifu Castle’s historical significance has gained renewed recognition in recent years. In 2011, the entire Mount Kinka area—including the summit castle ruins and the remains of Nobunaga’s base residence at the foot—covering approximately 209 hectares, was designated a National Historic Site by the Japanese government. The current tenshu (main keep) seen at the summit, built in reinforced concrete in 1956, is a reconstruction, yet it still preserves the atmosphere of a Sengoku-era mountain castle and offers spectacular views.

Since 1984, archaeological excavations have continued at the mountain’s base, particularly at the site of Nobunaga’s residence within Gifu Park. Researchers have uncovered terraced terrain, building foundations, and garden remains, with future plans to restore the gardens so visitors can experience more vividly the grandeur of Oda Nobunaga’s political domain.