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Nagoya castle!!
A massive castle located in Nagoya City—that’s Nagoya Castle. Unfortunately, most of it was destroyed during American air raids in World War II, and the buildings currently standing are reconstructed versions. Still, the castle ruins, including the stone walls, are impressive and worth visiting. As someone who has lived in Nagoya for over 10 years, I recently revisited Nagoya Castle, and I’ll share my experience with photos and explanations.
There are two entrances to Nagoya Castle: the main gate and the east gate. This time, I entered through the east gate. The closest station is Nagoya Castle Station on the subway.
As soon as you exit the station, there’s a photo spot with a “NAGOYA” sign. Many tourists were gathered there. Not wanting to disrupt their photo-taking, I quickly passed through.
After passing through the restaurants and following the path, you’ll reach the east gate reception. This is where you pay the entrance fee, which, as of November 2024, is 500 yen for adults.
Once you’ve completed the reception process, you’re free to explore as you like. The closest spot to the east gate entrance is the Ninomaru Garden. It’s said to be the largest garden in Japan that was used by feudal lords within a castle. However, there isn’t much explanation provided about it. It seems most tourists don’t understand its value, as there’s hardly anyone there.
To reach the main keep, you pass through a gate called Omote-Ninomon. It’s one of the few structures that survived the air raids and has been designated as an Important Cultural Property.
After passing through the gate and walking a bit, you’ll arrive at the main keep. Unfortunately, it appears to lack seismic strength, so reinforcement work is being done, and entry was not allowed. Many tourists were taking photos in this area.
Nagoya Castle was reconstructed using reinforced concrete, and one of its notable features is the inclusion of an elevator. For those who want to experience an authentic castle from that era, a visit to Inuyama Castle would be a better choice.
The highlight of the visit for me was the museum on the west side. It showcases items that survived the air raids. The displayed shachihoko is an original piece from the wartime era and was once designated as a National Treasure.
The main theme of this museum exhibition was Nagoya Toshogu Shrine and the Nagoya Festival. Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of Nagoya Castle, was deified, and the Toshogu Shrines across Japan are remnants of this. Nagoya also has a Toshogu Shrine, literally called Nagoya Toshogu. Before World War II, it was the largest shrine in Nagoya. The Nagoya Festival, which was held by Nagoya Toshogu Shrine, continued until the Second World War.
One of the displayed swords is considered one of the three sacred swords of Nagoya Toshogu Shrine, known as Kuniyuki. Kuniyuki was a swordsmith from the Kamakura period, and the surviving pieces are extremely valuable, designated as either national treasures or important cultural properties.
This is a painted handscroll depicting the scene of the Nagoya Festival during the Edo period. The exhibits are valuable items related to Nagoya Castle, and the Nagoya Festival, in various forms, is still held every autumn in modern Nagoya. For those with no particular interest, the visit can be completed in about 20 minutes, but I spent about an hour thoroughly enjoying it. However, all the explanations are in Japanese, with no English translations available. Since this museum does not charge an additional entrance fee, I think it’s understandable.
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