Azuchi Castle

Azuchi Castle

Azuchi Castle (安土城, Azuchi-jō) was one of the most important castles of Oda Nobunaga. It stood in the Azuchi neighborhood of Ōmihachiman, Shiga Prefecture. The castle was built between 1576 and 1579 on Mount Azuchi. It was by the eastern shore of Lake Biwa in Ōmi Province.

The castle was close to Kyoto. This let it help protect the capital. But it was far enough to stay safe from fires and fights there. Its location also helped control important roads. These roads went between Nobunaga’s enemies to the north, east, and west.

Azuchi Castle was very important in Japanese history. It was torn down in 1582 after Nobunaga was killed during the Honno-ji Incident by Akechi Mitsuhide. Many experts think Azuchi Castle began a new way of building castles in Japan. This helped start the early modern castles of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. This time in Japanese history is partly named after Azuchi Castle.

History

Azuchi Castle was built on the shores of Lake Biwa for Oda Nobunaga, starting in 1576 and finishing in 1579. Unlike older castles, it was designed not just for defense but also to impress visitors with its beautiful rooms, art, and a lively town nearby.

The castle’s tall tower, called a tenshu, was seven stories high and beautifully painted with tigers and dragons. It had thick stone walls and was built in a strong position high above the lake. Nobunaga also created a town around the castle with homes for his soldiers and common people, offering special protections to encourage people to live there. The castle was an important place for meetings and special events, showing Nobunaga’s power and wealth.

Architecture and design

Azuchi Castle had important paintings of Confucius and other wise figures. This showed that its builder, Oda Nobunaga, cared about ruling and keeping peace, not just fighting.

In 1976, a Japanese expert named Akira Naitō described what he thought Azuchi Castle looked like. He said the main tower, called the tenshu, was about 46 meters tall and had a shiny, eight-sided belvedere on top. He also thought there was a big open space inside the castle, called an atrium, that reached from the bottom to the fourth floor, possibly inspired by the Jesuits. But the exact design of Azuchi Castle is still being discussed by experts.

Azuchi screens

The Azuchi Screens were six special folding screens. They showed pictures of Azuchi Castle and the town nearby. Oda Nobunaga gave these screens to Pope Gregory XIII. People could see them in the Vatican collections. Sadly, the screens disappeared and we do not know where they are now. They were very important in the history of Japanese folding screens.

Modern times

Today, only the stonework of Azuchi Castle remains. You can see a copy of the castle's main tower at Ise Sengoku Village, a samurai theme park near Ise. There is also a full-size copy of the top floors of the tower at the Nobunaga no Yakata Museum, close to where the original castle once stood.

In 2006, Azuchi Castle was chosen as one of Japan's Top 100 Castles by the Japan Castle Foundation.

In popular culture

Azuchi Castle inspired a 2009 movie called Castle Under Fiery Skies. The movie came from a novel by Kenichi Yamamoto. Tanaka Mitsutoshi directed the film.