Castles of Oda Nobunaga

About 450 years ago, at the end of the Muromachi period, Oda Nobunaga rose from a single feudal lord in Owari (present-day Aichi Prefecture) to become the ruler of Japan. He defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto, the feudal lord of Suruga (Shizuoka Prefecture), in the Battle of Okehazama, and then captured Mino (Gifu Prefecture), ruled by Saito Tatsuoki. He then defeated Takeda Katsuyori in the Battle of Nagashino, famous for using matchlock guns procured in Sakai (Sakai City), and aimed to unify the country under the banner of "Tenka Fubu" (the rule of the world as a whole). After entering Kyoto, Nobunaga built Nijo Castle (old Nijo Castle) for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki. Amid this, Azuchi Castle was completed in 1579. The glittering five-story, six-storey main tower with one basement level built on the top of a mountain was a perfect display of Nobunaga's mighty power. However, in 1582, he was betrayed by Akechi Mitsuhide, and Nobunaga committed suicide at Honnoji Temple in Kyoto. Azuchi Castle shared the same fate as Nobunaga and disappeared.

If you would like to know more about Azuchi-jo Castle, we recommend visiting the Shiga Prefectural Azuchi Castle Archaeological Museum.

One of the warlords who rebelled against Oda Nobunaga, who was pushing forward with the unification of Japan, was Azai Nagamasa of Omi (Shiga Prefecture), the husband of Nobunaga's younger sister Ichi. He teamed up with the Asakura clan of Echizen (Fukui Prefecture) to attack Nobunaga's army from both sides, forcing them into a retreat that would later be called the "Retreat at Kanagasaki." The castle of the Azai clan was this Odani Castle. However, both the Azai and Asakura armies were defeated in the Battle of Anegawa (1570), and Azai Nagamasa barricaded himself in Odani Castle. Despite his valiant efforts, Odani Castle fell to Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1573, and the Azai clan was destroyed. The turbulent lives of the three Azai sisters, the daughters of Nagamasa and Ichi, Chacha (a concubine of Toyotomi Hideyoshi), Hatsu (the wife of Kyogoku Takatsugu), and Go (the wife of Tokugawa Hidetada), also began from this castle.

For more information on Odani Castle, click here
*Japanese only