Inuyama Castle

Coordinates: 35°23′18″N 136°56′21″E / 35.38833°N 136.93917°E / 35.38833; 136.93917
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Inuyama Castle
犬山城
Chūbu (Tōkai)
National Treasure

Inuyama Castle (犬山城, Inuyama-jō) is a yamajiro-style

National Historic Site since 2018.[1]

Background

Inuyama Castle is located on a hill overlooking the

National Treasure of Japan,[2] as are Matsumoto Castle, Hikone Castle and Himeji Castle
.

History

According to the Heian period Engishiki a Shinto shrine, the Haritsuna Shrine was moved to make way for the castle. The structure was rebuilt several times in the Muromachi period and the current configuration was largely the work of Oda Nobukatsu, Oda Nobunaga's son. The antiquated architectural style of the watchtower atop the tenshu has in the past led many historians to believe this to be the oldest extant tenshu in Japan, which was confirmed through tree rings in the construction materials dating the structure to the 1580s.[3] Construction and renovations continued through 1620.[4]

Inuyama Castle was the final obstacle against Oda Nobunaga's unification of

Saito Yoshitatsu on Mino Province. Nobunaga recaptured the castle in 1564. After Nobunaga's death, Toyotomi Hideyoshi appointed Ishikawa Sadakiyo as castellan of Inuyama. Ishikawa rebuilt the defenses of the castle in line with contemporary designs and the current shape of the donjon is a result of this reconstruction. After the Battle of Sekigahara, the victorious Tokugawa Ieyasu expelled the Ishikawa clan and turned the castle over to Owari Domain
.

Under the

Meiji government seized Inuyama Castle in 1871 and destroyed all of its auxiliary buildings except for the tenshu; however, after the castle was damaged in the Great Nōbi earthquake
, and it was returned to the Naruse family in 1895, on the condition that they repair and maintain it. The castle was thus unique in Japan in that it was privately owned.

In 2004, ownership of the castle was turned over to a non-profit foundation set up by the Aichi Prefecture's Board of Education.[5]

It was long believed that the tenshu of Inuyama Castle was moved to the castle from Kanayama Castle in 1599, until such theory was disproved as a result of examination through a large scale restoration work, involving the dismantling of the tenshu, carried out between 1961 and 1965.[6]

  • A view of the castle, taken in 1937
    A view of the castle, taken in 1937
  • Inuyama Castle and Kiso River
    Inuyama Castle and Kiso River
  • Castle Town
    Castle Town
  • Inuyama Festival
    Inuyama Festival
  • Inuyama Castle and karakuri float
    Inuyama Castle and
    karakuri
    float
  • Karakuri float
    Karakuri float
  • Tenshu front entrance
    Tenshu front entrance

Castle Rulers

The castellans of Inuyama Castle are listed below in order with their dates of reign in parentheses. There were no castellans from 1612–1617 and 1869–1895.

  • Pre-Naruse Clan
  1. Oda Nobuyasu (1537–1547)
  2. Oda Nobukiyo (1547–1564)
  3. Ikeda Tsuneoki (1570–1581)
  4. Oda Nobufusa (1581–1582)
  5. Nakagawa Sadanari (1582–1584)
  6. Ikeda Tsuneoki (1584)
  7. Katō Yasukage (1584, proxy ruler)
  8. Takeda Kiyotoshi (1584–1587, proxy ruler)
  9. Hijikata Katsuyoshi (1587–1590, proxy ruler)
  10. Nagao Yoshifusa (1590–1592, proxy ruler)
  11. Miwa Gorōemon (1592–1595)
  12. Ishikawa Mitsuyoshi (1595–1600)
  13. Ogasawara Yoshitsugu (1601–1607)
  14. Hiraiwa Chikayoshi (1607–1612)
  • Naruse Clan
  1. Naruse Masanari (1617–1625)
  2. Naruse Masatora (1625–1659)
  3. Naruse Masachika (1659–1703)
  4. Naruse Masayuki (1703–1732)
  5. Naruse Masamoto (1732–1768)
  6. Naruse Masanori (1768–1809)
  7. Naruse Masanaga (1809–1838)
  8. Naruse Masazumi (1838–1857)
  9. Naruse Masamitsu (1857–1869, 1895–1903)
  10. Naruse Masao (1903–1949)
  11. Naruse Masakatsu (1949–1973)
  12. Naruse Masatoshi (1973–2004)

See also

Literature

  • De Lange, William (2021). An Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles. Groningen: Toyo Press. pp. 600 pages.
    ISBN 978-9492722300
    .

References

  1. ^ "新情報". National Treasure Inuyama Castle (in Japanese). Inuyama Castle. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  2. ^ "犬山城天守". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  3. ^ "Inuyama Castle keep confirmed to be oldest in Japan". Washington Post. 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2021-03-31 – via New Hampshire Union Leader.
  4. ^ Young, David and Michiko. Introduction to Japanese Architecture. Hong Kong: Periplus Editions, 2004. p100.
  5. ^ (in Japanese)http://www.inuyamajohb.org/
  6. ISBN 9784484892085
    .

External links

Media related to Inuyama Castle at Wikimedia Commons

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