Inuyama Castle ( 犬 山城 Inuyama-jo:) - a castle in the city of Inuyama , Japan . It is located on a hill above the Kiso River, along which the border of Aichi and Gifu Prefectures passes. Inuyama Castle is often called the oldest of Japanese castles. The main tower of the castle is included in the list of national treasures of Japan .
| Castle | |
| Inuyama Castle | |
|---|---|
| 犬 山城 | |
 The main tower of the castle | |
| A country |  Japan |
| City | Inuyama |
| Material | |
History
The word "inuyama" literally translates from Japanese as "dog mountain." The castle has the second name “Hakutei Castle” (“The White Emperor’s Castle”) [1] , this name was given to the castle by the scientist Og Soray. [2]
It is believed that the foundation of the castle was laid back in the 1440s . [2] The main towers of the castle were built in 1537 by Oda Nobuyasu.
In 1891, the castle was badly damaged by an earthquake. In 1895, the Japanese government decided to return the castle to the heirs of the Naruse clan to maintain it in good condition. [3]
In 1965, the castle was dismantled for overhaul. After studying the wooden beams, it was found that the two lower floors of the castle were built much earlier than the upper. [four]
Lock device
Inuyama Castle belongs to the flat-mountain type of castles. Consists of three external tiers, four internal floors and two basement floors. [1] The design of the castle was greatly changed - modern towers were built in 1537 . In 1617, the third tier was completed. [4] The main tower ( tenshu ) is made in the style of the Azuchi-Momoyama era .
On the ground floor there are barracks for the daimyo army. They are divided into four rooms, surrounded by a circular corridor from which the sentry can monitor the situation. The second floor is an armory for storing a reserve of weapons and armor , and on the third floor there are personal premises. From the observation deck of the upper tier of the castle overlooks the city of Inuyama and the Kiso River. [five]
See also
- List of castles in Japan
- Maruoka Castle
Sources
- ↑ 1 2 National treasure, Inuyama Castle
- ↑ 1 2 History of the castle on the site of The Yamasa Institute
- ↑ History and photographs of Inuyama Castle
- ↑ 1 2 Description and history of Inuyama Castle on the website of the NIPPONIA web magazine
- ↑ Stephen Turnbull. Japanese castles. 1540-1640 = Japanese Castles 1540-1640. - Osprey Publishing, 2003 .-- S. 58. - 64 p. - ISBN 1-84176-429-9 .
Links
- Description of the castle on the Guide to Japanese Castles website
- Castle photos