Azuchi Castle, Mountain castle in Shiga Prefecture, Japan
Azuchi Castle is a ruined mountain fortress on Mount Azuchi in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, where stone foundations and wall fragments spread across several terraced levels. The highest point sits at roughly 200 meters (650 feet) above sea level and reveals the layout of a complex that once rose through multiple floors.
Oda Nobunaga began building the seven-story wooden fortress in 1576 and moved into it a few years later as his residence. It burned down in 1582, shortly after the attack in which Nobunaga died, and was never rebuilt.
The castle gave its name to the Azuchi–Momoyama period. In 1579 it hosted the Azuchi religious debate between leaders of the Nichiren and Jōdo-shū sects. On the 1581 Urabon-e night, Nobunaga had the town's lights put out and the castle lit with lanterns to astonish visiting missionaries.
Access requires a roughly 25-minute walk from Azuchi Station, and visitors should be prepared for some steep sections along the path. Parking is available for those arriving by car.
The keep's central foundation stone is missing, and excavation found no trace of it ever being pulled out; the hole held charred wood and pottery shards, suggesting a Buddhist reliquary tower stood there. Nobunaga also lived in the keep, unlike most castle towers.
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