Inuyama Castle

This is a great little castle to visit if you are in the area and have some time. It's also not far from Gifu or Nagoya so you could go to 2 sites in the same day. If you're really ambitious you might be able to make it to all three.

History

The castle as it stands today was established in 1537 by Nobunaga's grandfather Oda Nobuyasu.

According to a Heian period book called "Enkishiki," at the site where Inuyama castle now stands, there was a shrine called Harigane Shrine (Harigane Jinja). This temple was later moved to Shirayamadaira to make way for the castle. The castle was not entirely constructed from scratch, but the main keep was actually moved here from a different castle known as Kanayama Castle.

After Hideyoshi took Odawara, he stationed Ishikawa Sadakiyo at Inuyama castle. Following the Battle of Sekigahara, Ishikawa was defeated and Matsudaira Tadayoshi (master of Kiyosu castle) stationed his retainer Ogasawara Yoshitsugu in Inuyama Castle. In 1616 Ogasawara was replaced by Naruse Masanari and his family have more or less owned the castle through the present day.

Inuyama-jo was famous for being the only privately owned castle in Japan. It had a few different owners early on, and was seized by the Meiji government who held it in their possession from 1872 to 1895. It suffered damage during an earthquake in 1891 and was returned to the Naruse family in 1895 under the condition that they repair the damages continue to keep up the castle into the future. It was recently sold to the city of Inuyama and will soon be taken over by Aichi Prefecture.

Field Notes

This is a great little castle to visit if you are in the area and have some time. It's also not far from Gifu or Nagoya so you could go to 2 sites in the same day. If you're really ambitious you might be able to make it to all three.

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Gallery

Inuyama Castle Sunset
main keep
Kurogane gate
main keep
honmaru viewed from the main keep
view from the main keep

More Galleries and Feature Pages

Castle Town and Relocated Gates

(14 photos)

Castle Profile
English Name	Inuyama Castle
Japanese Name	犬山城
Alternate Names	Hakutei-jo
Founder	Oda Nobuyasu
Year Founded	1537
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	Original main keep
Designations	Top 100 Castles, has National Treasures, National Historic Site
Historical Period	Edo Period
Main Keep Structure	3 levels, 4 stories, plus 2 stories below ground
Artifacts	Tenshu
Features	main keep, gates, turrets, water moats, trenches, stone walls, walls, castle town
Visitor Information
Access	Inuyama Yuen Station (Meitetsu), 15 minute walk
Hours	9:00-17:00; closed 12/29-31
Time Required	80 minutes
URL	Castle Website
Location	Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture
Coordinates	35.38835, 136.93917
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	1999
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	1992, 1996, 2004
Admin Visits	July 1992; May 1996; February 22, 2004

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