Inuyama Castle (Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture)

　The castle was built in Tenbun 6th era (1537) by Oda Nobunaga uncle Oda Nobuyasu.

　The castle tower which was later built by Naruse Masanari who was the castle in early Edo period. it is the oldest existing wooden castle tower in Japan, and has been designated as a national treasure.

Inuyama Castle Tower

　Castle tower and castle are military facilities originally intended for defense.

　Therefore, you can go up and down the steep and narrow stairs inside the castle tower, allowing you to fully enjoy the atmosphere of its original role as a control tower for castle defense.

Scenery from Inuyama Castle Tower

　On the other hand, fires are strictly prohibited in existing structures like this.

　The castle tower, which was built in the modern era to attract local tourism, they are true castle-shaped building or museum with air conditioning, barrier-free access and an elevator. Existing buildings such as Inuyama castle, naturally do not have such modern facilities and cannot be added to them from perspective of protecting cultural properties.

　In exchange for being able to experience the atmosphere of those days, you will have to endure the heat and cold during midsummer and midwinter while sightseeing. Cool Warm Biz is essential for tourists.

　Inuyama castle of lord has changed hands many times since its construction, but in Genna 3th era (1617), it was improved by Naruse Masashige who was a senior retainer of Owari Tokugawa family and took on its current form.

　Although Masashige was a vassal of the Owari Tokugawa family, he had a territory of 35,000 Koku (Unit of rice harvested in one year) and was treated as a vassal lord of Tokugawa shogunate. Since then, the Naruse family ruled Inuyama as the lord of Inuyama castle for generations until Meiji Restoration.

　There is a local shrine called "Atago Shrine" near Inuyama city hall about 1.5km southeast of Inuyama Castle.

Atago Shrine Worship Hall

　Here was "Kinoshita Castle", which Oda Nobuyasu used as his residence before the construction of Inuyama castle. It is so to speak which is the original Inuyama castle.

　Nobuyasu was active in Mid-Muromachi period.

　It is a one-story castle which building measuring 200m from east to west and 350m from north to south. Unlike the typical modern castles with white walls, tiled roofs and castle towers, this castle building was a tower house which surrounded by a board fence and consists of a series of one-story board-roofed buildings.

　For generations, the Oda clan became the lords of the castle and they used it mainly for their invasion of Mino Country (Gifu Prefecture).