Inuyama castle

This article is short travel literature visiting Inuyama castle, the oldest national treasure castle. However, in our opinion,  this basis may be invalid. Please read our idea and judge our opinion is correct or not.

Inuyama castle

Main tower of Inuyama castle is considered as the oldest of intact Japanese castle-towers. Nevertheless, its appearance doesn't make us feel so when we look at it from a rest station in front of it. On the contrary, it has a modern and creative facade fascinating us by its symmetric beauty.

Main compound isn't so wide, it's maybe 10 minutes or so if we walk all around it. There are only the main tower, a reconstructed castle-gate, a rest station and a laboratory in it. This fact makes us feel sadness, such as the feeling that we can't find the least bit of necessary elements as a Japanese castle. That's because there aren't other compounds, and every place except for the main compound was all reconstructed. And earthen mounds, ramparts and moats were almost lost.

From the resting shop

By the way, the backyard of this castle was protected by the large Kiso river, so it was a typical castle which behind was especially defensive. These were called "Usiro-kengo-na-Shiro" in the classifying the type of Japanese castles. A reduced model of the whole site of this castle is displayed at "The Shiro-to-machi Museum" located in front of the castle area. Looking at the display, we can reconfirm behind of it was a steep cliff and a large river. Then we realized the reason of strong defensiveness, but we also find the startling fact that there was Karamete-mon or a back gate in this side. We think there's no use to produce this gate, but maybe there would be a practical importance to make this gate. 

Go to Inuyama castle

We definitely recommend using Shinkansen train for traveling from Osaka to Inuyama castle. Inuyama castle is located in Aichi prefecture, where we have visited several castles, Nagashino castle of Nagashino battle standard festival and Okazaki castle of Ieyasu-gyoretsu festival. It's only 50 minutes from Shin-osaka station to Nagoya station using Nozomi. And 30 minutes from Nagoya to Inuyama by Meitetsu limited express train. Even though you have to spend time to change trains, and you'll arrive at Inuyama city within 2 hours.



Main street to Inuyama casle

Main street to Inuyama castle is lined with shops decorated in antique. And the street is paved with hewn stone which is beautifully prepared. This area is almost vehicle-free area except for the appearance of tourists cars got lost unintentionally and shop-owners cars.

Comparing with the merchant's buildings along the main street, the castle site itself isn't fulfilled so much. The main entrance of the site is maybe "San-no-maru" compound at that time. Once, San-no-maru compound was a southern defensive facility with stone ramparts, earthen walls, moats and turrets. But now, it turned into a housing lot. And there is nothing that tells the story of those days. Anyway, the castle site at the present time starts from here.

Entrance signstone

A few steps we enter the castle site, there is a ex-dry-moat across the path of this castle. It is used as a roadway now and cars run under the path we are walking. It seems very complicated and is difficult to imagine the whole figure of this dry-moat at that time.  

Standing in front of the castle site at the present time, a shrine welcomes us. This shrine is called "Hari-tsuna" shrine having an ancient and honorable origin. Although the main route is the left of the main street, you may misunderstand that the entrance of the shrine is also that of the castle. Because there is a signboard telling "The quickest route to the main tower is here!" Withstanding temptation of the signboard, we chose the right route.   

It's not so long from the stone monument of the entrance gate to the main compound. Only main compound and a shrine siting aren't changed to thickets. We can't find ramparts or stone walls because other area has been thickly covered by thickets.

Information board

There is a ticket office besides the entrance gate of the main compound which was reconstructed few decades ago. The main compound is surrounded by stone ramparts all around.  And it consists of a relatively small independent area. We are moved the main tower standing at the opposite side of the entrance gate. To our surprise, one of remained national treasure main towers was easily appeared suddenly. 

Every national treasure main tower has strong personalities. They are not only few but also great appearance attracting us. Each one has each different characters. If we mention Inuyama castle's charm, it's a proportion of it. It generates from the relatively wide first and second floors plus relatively small third and fourth floors. We think that is outstanding other castle towers.


Inner area of castle tower

You should take your shoes off, when you enter the castle tower. So the place is prepared in front of the entrance. This space is a steel structure made of thin steel pillars and beams and it looks like a semi-cylindrical box. Covered by trees, it's not noticeable from a distance. Even so, it's a pity. Although it'll be more pity, if you add a space of old-fashioned style.  

It is said that the main tower was used only when they were besieged. It has many rooms of uncertain purpose. When we wander inside, we find several signboards described the meaning of each places. Such as, 'This is a Mushagakushi room or a space where several armed samurai were hiding.' But the primary purpose of the main tower was to be used for siege, then there would be stockyards, meeting rooms and accommodation space and so on.

Main tower

If this was a true Mushagakushi, it would be just a suitable extra space to be used for and they renovated it later. We have rare information about foreign castles, but we suppose there would be also much nonsensical space in them. Because totally reasonable planning was started in the modern age. The planning of Japanese castles would be also undefined and there would be trial and error. 

By the way, from the view point of a facility for attracting customers, a new idea to use the castle tower as a museum was born when Osaka castle main tower was reconstructed. After its success, almost reconstructed castle towers were made to be used as museums. When we consider this issue, we have another example, Hikone castle. The main tower of Hikone castle isn't used for exhibition space at all. Because there is the spacious museum beside the castle mountain.



We thought the space inside the Osaka castle tower should be made realistic. Then we could feel Samurai world inside the building more realistically. On the other hand, vacant space of the Hikone castle tower made us feel a lack of something. When we entered it, we couldn't stop thinking it was just spacious but wasteful, and we hoped something help us understanding this space. 

Now we want to mention Inuyama castle, and its inside is sitting on the fence. There are small wooden model of it, armors and war helmets, artifacts, ancient documents and so on. But these aren't undisputed treasures, and also it's dim, even if the exhibitions are real treasures, it couldn't be attractive in this situation. Consequently, the facade is excellent and we can recommend from the heart, but to tell the truth, its inside has few attractions. 

Thinking such little things, we bumped into Gozasho or the lard's room which doesn't exist in other castle towers. The reason why it is only in the Inuyama castle tower is this tower was made based two-stories building which was kind of residential one, and other two floors as a watch tower was added later. If we mention another example, famous Azuchi castle which was made by Oda Nobunaga was called that its highest floor was 'Gozasho' or his bedroom. But in Inuyama castle, its watch tower was built as an additional floor, so the lord's room was on the second floor. And the existence of an additional watch tower is one of the evidence that this castle tower was the oldest one of early modern castles. 

Basement

We go up the third and fourth floors, and there's no special additional room except for an outside walking space around the fourth floor. Inuyama castle is a typical one that has an outside walking space, and many reconstructed castles copy it and it become a big hit element of them. Other remained national treasure castle towers don't have it. The top floor is covered with a red carpet, and we feel the brightness of this room and open air all around. We also enjoy a feeling of accomplishment.   


Historical consideration

This main tower is supposed to the oldest. But the evidence isn't obvious enough. By the explanation of researchers, the Oda family built this castle in 1537 for the first time. And the central compound was made in the same period. Then, the castle tower (or its underlying building) would be the oldest.

From a bank of Nagara river

However, the building so-called main tower was invented by Oda Nobunaga in 1576. Before this invention, the facilities of castle towers were two stories building such as Ginkaku-ji temple in Kyoto. So, there were not enforced and not decorated majestically.  

That's an obvious thing that Inuyama castle was located in a strategically important point. That is why the lords of this castle changed many times in accordance with the transfer of power. The position of the governor of Japan was inherited in the order of Oda, Toyotomi, Tokugawa. And the Lord of this castle changed in the order of a retainer of Oda, Toyotomi and Tokugawa each period. 

We have one idea when this main tower was made. In our opinion, the first and the second floor of the main tower were built when Toyotomi Hidetsugu was the Lord of this castle in 1590. And the next Lord, Ishikawa Sadakiyo reconstructed it, and made the third and the fourth floor. Even so, there aren't typical documents or other evidence with us.

Then, why we considered above? Because the design of the main tower is not similar to Tokugawa families castles which were mainly built in the beginning of the Edo era. We think this design is close to the way of Toyotomi families' castles. Nevertheless, it's difficult to confirm the truth as long as it is a historical object. In our opinion, it's just the very charm of history. That's why we search next historical places again, if you agree with our opinion, let's explore the next one together.