From nearly everywhere in Gifu City, Mt. Kinka and Gifu Castle dominate the scenery. Riding the tramway or hiking up to the top of Mt. Kinka offers a great view and the chance to visit Gifu Castle. Just walking through Gifu Park or spending a few hours at the Gifu Prefectual History Museum is a great way to spend an afternoon. From the top of Mt. Kinka it becomes pretty clear that the reproduction of historical grandeur was not a priority during Gifu Castle's reconstruction during the 1950's. As you walk through the museum inside the castle it is a little hard to imagine that this place was once the base of Oda Nobunaga, a man who was instrumental in reunifying Japan during the Warring States Period.
Fortunately some of that is about to change. Gifu Castle is now undergoing a major renovation. Work began late last year to replace roof tiles damaged in a typhoon about three years ago. From mid-February through March about 1,100 volunteers have helped carry the roof tiles up the 2 km trail. For their efforts they get a taste of what the original laborers did, as well as the chance to write their names and a little message on the tiles they carry to the top.
No one knows when the original fortifications were built on Mt. Kinka. The castle was once called Inabayama Castle. The area has been a strategic point for centuries given its close proximity to Sekigahara, a mountain pass through which trade and communication routes link eastern and western Japan. Saito Dosan, a onetime resident of Mt. Kinka, once said "If you control Sekigahara, you control Japan." Taken by Nagai Sinzaemon in 1525 his retainer Saito Dosan usurped him in 1542 and ruled the area until Yoshiatsu, Saito's son, killed his father in a battle on the banks of the Nagara River. Saito Yoshiatsu governed the area until Oda Nobunaga invaded in September of 1567.
Gifu's most important historical figure was not even born in Gifu, he was born across the Kiso River to the family of minor feudal lord in Owari (1534). Oda Nobunaga spent much of his childhood playing war games with other children in the neighborhood, swimming, and riding horses. He definitely put much more priority on the warrior part of the scholar/warrior ideal that was held so highly among the samurai class. His wild childhood was probably good preparation for his later career.
At the age of 16 Oda Nobunaga entered into an arranged marriage with a daughter of Saito Dosan. The marriage was intended to cement peaceful relations between both clans. For Oda Nobunaga the advantage of having a peaceful western border was an asset as he set out to defeat his eastern neighbors in what is now Aichi Prefecture. Nobunaga secured his hold over Nagoya Castle, and then moved against hostile military districts in Owari.He was successful in taking the area by force by 1559. This campaign, often against powerful foes who outnumbered Nobunaga's forces, brought him notoriety throughout Japan. By 1562 he had made an alliance with the future Tokugawa Ieyasu to secure his eastern flank, and enabled Nobunaga to turn his aggressions west toward Mino. It took 5 years and several invasion attempts for Nobunaga to finally capture Mino Province in 1567. It was during this time that another famous figure of the Waring States Period, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, first made his mark as a military commander. Hideyoshi built a castle, in one night, from which Nobunaga could stage his attacks. This was a task that Nobunaga's other lieutenants had failed to do for over a year. Years after Nobunaga's death Toyotomi Hideyoshi also completed the task of unifying Japan. Two of Japan's most famous figures during the Warring States Period came together during the battle over the town that was to be called Gifu.
After its capture, Nobunaga renamed what had been
called Inaba, Gifu, after consultations with a Buddhist Monk who
was an expert in Chinese history. The first character gi
was the same as a city in China that was the beginning
place for a warlord's conquest of China. Nobunaga also liberalized
trade and opened many markets to newcomers, actions which made
the local economy flourish. Although the castle's town suffered
major damage in the battle, Nobunaga had the town rebuilt within
two years to such an extent that western visitors expresed awe.
Gifu first gained international stature under Nobunaga's reign when Louis Frois, a Portuguese Missionary, came to ask permission to proselytize in Japan. It is believed Oda Nobunaga granted Frois permission with the intention of undermining the politically powerful Buddhist Temples in Kyoto. Whatever the reason, Frois was impressed with what Nobunaga had done in Gifu. Frois compared Gifu to Babylon because of the bustling character of the people. He also was impressed with Oda Nobunaga, who was genuinely interested in Western culture and technology.
On one occasion Frois offered Nobunaga Western clothes. Nobunaga honored him by wearing the clothes, and became the first Japanese known to wear Western clothes. Frois for his part was impressed with Gifu Castle. "Outside the mansion, there are five gardens with many kinds of fish swimming in their ponds. There are about twenty rooms on the first floor. The sliding doors and gold-leaf folding screens are incredibly beautiful. On the third floor there is a tea room. From the third and fourth floors, one can see the entire city. We have never seen such a magnificent palace in Japan. Next we were led to the castle. We climbed a steep path to the castle after passing through a gate where about twenty young men stood guard. On the first floor there were three spacious rooms. There, approximately 100 sons of Nobunaga's vassals were on guard duty. The rooms were decorated with gold-leaf folding screens and some were used for arms storage."
As Oda Nobunaga's military power grew he left Gifu Castle to his sons. He moved to Azuchi Castle which he latter constructed to be closer to the capital of Kyoto. Nobunaga's efforts to dominate Japan continued as the land he controlled expanded west to dominate the Osaka area down into the Kii Peninsula, (now part of Wakayama Prefecture) most of the Chubu area, from Shizuoka through parts of Yamanashi and Nagano Prefectures to the Japan Sea Coast. Along the Hokuriku region Nobunaga controlled what is now Kyoto, Fukui, Ishikawa, and Toyama Prefectures.
Everything came to an end, however, in 1579 while he was staying at Honoji Temple in Kyoto enroute to battle in the western Chugoku region (Okayama and Hiroshima Prefectures). In the pre-dawn hours of June 21, 1582 one of Nobunaga's less loyal vassals attacked the lightly guarded compound. Amidst the flames of the burning temple, Oda Nobunaga and his guards fought off the invaders as long as they could. After becoming wounded Nobunaga locked himself in a service and disemboweled himself.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi succeeded Nobunaga and went on to unify Japan under his rule. Hideyoshi lasted until his death in 1597. The fight over succession culminated in the Battle of Sekigahara, where Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated rivals, and began a 400 year period of peace. One casulty of the battle was Nobunaga's son, Oda Nobuhide, who lived in Gifu Castle . Gifu Castle was burned to the ground and reconstruction was prohibited. The present structure on Mt. Kinka was built in 1954.
*Resources: Special thanks to Mina Hirose, also Japan
An Illustrated Encyclopedia, Kodansha, 1993. Also Instant
Gifu, Gifu International Center, forthcoming.