Nagoya Castle

Nagoya Castle is a historic fortress in Naka-ku featuring a tall main tower crowned with two golden fish ornaments, thick stone walls arranged in concentric rings, and wide water moats surrounding the complex. The grounds spread across a large area with multiple gates, courtyards, and the reconstructed Honmaru Palace positioned within the innermost enclosure.

Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered construction in 1609 to establish a power base for his ninth son, and the fortress served as the seat of the Owari branch until 1868. Allied bombing destroyed the main tower in 1945, but reconstruction efforts began in the 1950s and continued with the palace restoration completed in 2018.

The reconstructed Honmaru Palace displays rooms decorated with painted sliding doors and explains how formal residential life unfolded within these carefully arranged spaces. Visitors walk through tatami-mat chambers and learn about the daily routines and ceremonial customs practiced by the ruling family.

The fortress grounds cover a large park where visitors walk between stone walls and cross bridges over the moats. Access is easiest by subway on the Meijo Line to Nagoyajo Station or by taking the Meguru tourist bus from the main railway terminal.

The tower keep covers roughly 3000 square meters of floor space, making it the largest in Japan, and retains portions of stone walls laid in 1612. Several gates and corner turrets from the original period still stand in their original positions within the defensive rings.

Location: Naka-ku

Inception: 1532

Founders: Tokugawa Ieyasu

Made from material: stone

Part of: three great castles, 100 Fine Castles of Japan

Website: https://nagoyajo.city.nagoya.jp

GPS coordinates: 35.18556,136.89861

Latest update: December 12, 2025 19:34