Inuyama CastleInuyama City, Aichi Prefecture

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Inuyama Castle DATA
TenshuExisting castle tower｜National Treasure Gojo
Other nameHakutei Castle
castle construction1469
address65-2 Inuyama Kita Old Ticket, Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture
telephone number0568-61-1711
Opening hours9:00-17:00 (Admission until 16:30)
closing dayDecember 29th to 31st
Admission feeAdults 550 yen / Elementary and junior high school students 110 yen

Only the castle tower remains, and it is one of the ``12 castles with existing castle towers.'' It is also one of the five castles whose castle tower has been designated as a national treasure.

Access to Inuyama Castle
15 minutes walk from Inuyama Station on the Meitetsu Inuyama Line/Meitetsu Komaki Line or Inuyama Yuen Station on the Meitetsu Inuyama Line.

HISTORYInuyama Castle, a national treasure that was a private property until the middle of the Heisei era

Inuyama Castle is a Hirayama castle built by Oda Nobuyasu, the uncle of Oda Nobunaga. It was located between present-day Aichi and Gifu prefectures, at a key transportation point with the Kiso River at its back. It is also known as "White Emperor Castle" and is one of the five castles whose castle tower is designated as a national treasure. It is also known as the castle tower, which was privately owned until 2004. Here, let's take a look at the history of Inuyama Castle.

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Castle built by Nobuyasu Oda
Inuyama Castle is said to have its origins as a fort built by Oda Hirochika, the younger brother of Oda Toshihiro, said to be the founder of the Iwakura Oda clan, during the Onin War in 1469. The Iwakura Oda clan is the family that produced Oda Nobunaga.
Later, in 1537, Oda Nobuyasu, the uncle of Oda Nobunaga, abandoned Kinoshita Castle, his previous residence, and built a castle in the fort and moved there. This became the foundation of Inuyama Castle. Later, when Oda Nobuyasu died in a battle with Saito Dōsan (Battle of Kanokuchi), the castle belonged to his son Oda Nobukiyo, but in 1564 Oda Nobukiyo, his cousin Oda He clashed with Nobunaga, defeated him, and fled to Kai Province. After that, Inuyama Castle was lorded by Tsuneoki Ikeda, a vassal of Oda Nobunaga, and Katsunaga Oda, Oda Nobunaga's fifth son.
Served as a base during the battles of Komaki and Nagakute and the battles of Sekigahara.
After Oda Nobunaga died in the Honnoji Incident, Inuyama Castle was subordinated to Oda Nobunaga's second son, Oda Nobuo, and Nakagawa Sadanari became the castle's lord. When the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute broke out in 1584, Tsuneoki Ikeda, the lord of Ogaki Castle, betrayed Nobuo Oda and captured Inuyama Castle. Afterwards, Inuyama Castle became Hideyoshi Hashiba's headquarters, hoping to fight against Tokugawa Ieyasu.
After the battle, Inuyama Castle was initially transferred to Oda Nobuo, but was later changed to become the territory of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's nephew Toyotomi Hidetsugu, and his father Yoshifusa Miyoshi served as the castle owner.
When Toyotomi Hidetsugu was forced to commit seppuku in the name of Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1596, Sadakiyo Ishikawa became the lord of the castle. There are records that Inuyama Castle was renovated after Oda Nobunaga's death. In 2021, Inuyama City announced at a press conference that the timber used for Inuyama Castle was found to have been felled between 1585 and 1588, based on tree-ring dating. I am.
In other words, it was proven that Inuyama Castle was rebuilt into its current form after 1588.
When the Battle of Sekigahara broke out in 1600, Inuyama Castle, along with Gifu Castle and Takehana Castle, became a base for the Western Army. Sadakiyo Ishikawa, Sadayasu Kato, Kazumasa Seki, Shigemon Takenaka, and others were placed there, but with the fall of Gifu Castle, all the feudal lords except Sadakiyo Ishikawa defected to the eastern army, and Sadakiyo took control of Inuyama Castle. He became the general of a defeated army.
During the Edo period, it became the residence of the chief retainer.
When Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Edo Shogunate, Inuyama Castle became the residence of the Owari clan's chief retainer. The official name of tsuke karō is otsuke karō, and it refers to a person who was ordered by the shogun to become the chief retainer of a daimyo. They had a higher status than ordinary retainers and had the privilege of having an audience with the shogun. Inuyama Castle was the residence of Naruse Shimo, the first lord of the Owari Tokugawa family who ruled the Owari domain, and the family of chief retainers of Yoshinao Tokugawa. The Naruse clan renovated Inuyama Castle from 1617 to 1620, installing a Karahafu bay window in the castle tower. From then until the end of the Edo period, it served as the residence of nine generations of the Naruse clan. The other name for Hakutei Castle was given by Ogyu Sorai, a Confucian scholar in the middle of the Edo period.
Although the Naruse clan had the power of a daimyo, they were not official daimyo. However, at the end of the Edo period, independence was finally granted, and although it only took a few years, the Inuyama clan was born.
Inuyama Castle after the Meiji era
In 1871, Inuyama Castle was abandoned, and most of the turrets and gates that looked into the castle tower were demolished. The castle tower was also scheduled to be demolished, but in 1895, it was transferred free of charge to Masahiro Naruse, the last lord of Inuyama Castle, on the condition that the castle tower, which had been destroyed by the Nobi Earthquake, would be repaired.
Masahiro Naruse used his personal funds and donations from Inuyama citizens to restore Inuyama Castle. From then on, Inuyama Castle remained the property of the Naruse clan until 2004.
In 1935, Inuyama Castle was designated as a national treasure based on the laws of the time. After that, it was once designated as an important cultural property based on a revision of the law, but in 1952 it was designated as a national treasure again based on the Cultural Properties Protection Act.
Current Inuyama Castle
Inuyama Castle was frequently damaged by natural disasters, including the Ise Bay Typhoon in 1952, and each time the Naruse family repaired the castle with private funds and donations. However, personal ownership reached its limit, and in 2004, the 11th generation owner, Masatoshi Naruse, passed from private ownership to the Inuyama Castle Hakutei Bunko Foundation.
Furthermore, Junko Naruse, the eldest daughter of Masatoshi Naruse, was appointed as the foundation's first president. In 2006, it was designated as one of Japan's top 100 castles, and has been restored to its current status through several surveys and restorations.

Read about incidents related to Inuyama Castle

Battle of Komaki and NagakuteToyotomi Hideyoshi vs Tokugawa Ieyasu
The only battle in which Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu faced each other directly was the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute in 1584. Approximately two years have passed since the Honnoji Incident in 1582, when Oda Nobunaga was defeated. There was Hideyoshi who killed Mitsuhide Akechi.
Read about the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute
Battle of Komaki and Nagakute
Battle of Inabayama CastleOda Nobunaga conquers Mino
In August 1567, Oda Nobunaga attacked Inabayama Castle, the stronghold of the Saito clan in Mino Province (Gifu Prefecture), defeated Tatsuoki Saito, and conquered Mino. After this battle, known as the ``Battle of Inabayama Castle'', Nobunaga took over Inabayama Castle as ``
Read about the Battle of Inabayama Castle
Battle of Inabayama Castle

Read biographies related to Inuyama Castle

Chikayoshi HiraiwaA loyal retainer who gained tremendous trust from the people of Japan.
The late Muromachi period was a time of war and turmoil, also known as the Sengoku period, which was compared to the history of China. It was Tokugawa Ieyasu who brought an end to this era. Supported by many retainers, Ieyasu established the Edo Shogunate and became a ruler of Japan. The representative who supported this Ieyasu
Reading Chikayoshi Hiraiwa
Chikayoshi Hiraiwa

History of the Inuyama clan, with Inuyama Castle as its domain office

Inuyama domainFinally became independent in 4th year of Keio.
The Inuyama domain is a special domain that was finally recognized as an independent domain by the Meiji government in 1868. During the Edo period, the Naruse family, which was the chief retainer of the Owari Tokugawa family, served as the lord for generations. Looking into the history of the Inuyama clan
Read Inuyama Clan
Inuyama domain
Inuyama Clan DATA
Domain officeInuyama Castle
old areaBorder between Owari Province and Mino Province
stone height113,000 koku
Fudai/TozamaFudai
main lordOgasawara family, Hiraiwa family, Naruse family

The Inuyama domain was formally recognized as a domain and established as a domain due to the arrangement of the new government in January 1868. It was not recognized as a domain under the shogunate system of the Edo shogunate.

Inuyama Castle column

Introduction column by castle enthusiasts

National Treasure Inuyama CastleNational Treasure Inuyama Castle
Kanako KamiyaKanako Kamiya (writer)
Japanese Castle Photo Contest.03