Nagoya Castle

Nagoya Castle, located on the border of Naka Ward and Kita Ward in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu in the early Edo period as the residence of the Owari Tokugawa clan, one of the three major branches of the Tokugawa family (Gosanke). It is renowned as one of Japan’s Three Great Castles, alongside Osaka Castle and Kumamoto Castle. The castle is also known by several nicknames such as “Meijō,” “Kinshachi-jō,” and “Kin-jō.” It has been selected as one of the “Top 100 Japanese Castles” and is designated as a National Special Historic Site.

The castle’s origins date back to the early 16th century when it was first built by the Imagawa clan as a base for advancing into the Owari region. In 1538, Oda Nobuhide seized the site, renamed it “Nagono Castle,” and entrusted it to his son Oda Nobunaga, who spent his youth there. Later, Nobunaga moved to Kiyosu Castle, and Nagono Castle gradually fell into disuse.

After the Battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu sought to secure the Owari region. In 1609, he decided to build a new castle near the ruins of Nagono Castle and designated it as the residence of his ninth son, Tokugawa Yoshinao, establishing it as the seat of the Owari Domain. The construction of Nagoya Castle was carried out as a large-scale tenkabushin (nationwide mobilization), with western lords such as Katō Kiyomasa, Fukushima Masanori, and Kuroda Nagamasa contributing stone and labor for the castle walls. Even today, the stones bear the carved marks of the feudal lords who worked on them.

In 1612, the main keep (tenshu) of Nagoya Castle was completed, becoming famous for its golden shachihoko (dolphin-like roof ornaments), which made it the symbol of Nagoya and earned it the nickname “Kinshachi-jō.” The Hommaru Palace was completed in 1615, representing the pinnacle of samurai residential architecture and standing alongside Kyoto’s Nijō Castle as one of the finest examples of such style. Tokugawa Yoshinao officially moved in, and the residents, merchants, temples, and shrines of Kiyosu were relocated to Nagoya in an event called the “Kiyosu-goshi.” Approximately 50,000 people moved, forming the foundation of the Nagoya castle town.

During the later Edo period, although Nagoya Castle remained the political center of the Owari Domain, its military and political importance diminished. The tenshu and Hommaru Palace were preserved mainly as lodgings for shoguns when traveling to Kyoto. Several shoguns, including Tokugawa Hidetada and Tokugawa Iemitsu, stayed there temporarily.

However, during World War II in 1945, Nagoya suffered devastating air raids, and much of the castle—including the tenshu and Hommaru Palace—was destroyed by fire, leaving only six corner turrets intact. After the war, the tenshu was rebuilt in reinforced concrete, and the surrounding area was redeveloped into Meijō Park.

Currently, Nagoya City is carrying out a comprehensive restoration project to reconstruct the tenshu in wood, restore multiple gates, turrets, and stone walls, and revive the Ninomaru Palace and gardens. The goal is to restore the site to its original Edo-period appearance and preserve it as a cultural heritage site open to the public.