Gifu Castle

If you have time, don't take the ropeway to the top. Take one of the trails to the top of Kinkazan. It's generally cool and quiet, making for a nice walk. Nearby the base of Mt. Kinkazan is also a small temple with a huge Buddha made from lacquered paper

History

Gifu-jo, originally called Inabayama-jo, is built atop the 338m Mt. Kinka in Gifu prefecture. A castle was first established here by Nikaido Yukimasa in 1201. Saito Dosan became the master of Inabayama-jo In 1539 and renovated it into what you see today. In 1567 Oda Nobunaga invaded Mino and took Inabayama-jo from Saito Yoshitatsu, the grandson of Saito Dosan. Nobunaga moved his headquarters here from Komaki-jo and renamed it Gifu-jo.

During the Battle of Sekigahara (1600) Tokugawa's forces captured Gifu Castle which was then controlled by Nobunaga's grandson Hidenobu. Tokugawa had no need for a mountaintop castle so he had it demolished.

Field Notes

If you have time, don't take the ropeway to the top. Take one of the trails to the top of Kinkazan. It's generally cool and quiet, making for a nice walk. Nearby the base of Mt. Kinkazan is also a small temple with a huge Buddha made from lacquered paper

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Gallery

Castle Profile
English Name	Gifu Castle
Japanese Name	岐阜城
Alternate Names	Inabayama-jo
Founder	Saito Dosan
Year Founded	1509
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Reconstructed main keep
Designations	Top 100 Castles, Top 100 Mountaintop Castles, Local Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Main Keep Structure	3 levels, 4 floors
Year Reconstructed	1956 (concrete)
Features	main keep, trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Gifu (Tokaida Honsen) or Gifu Hashima (Shinkansen), bus to Gifu Park, ropeway or short hike up the mountain (
Hours
Time Required
URL	Castle Website
Location	Gifu, Gifu Prefecture
Coordinates	35.43391, 136.7819
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	1999
Admin Year Visited	1992, 1996
Admin Visits	July 1992, May 1996

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