| Alternate Name | Ryu-jo |
| Founder | Saigo Tsugiyori |
| Year | 1455 |
| Reconstructed | 1959 (concrete) |
| Type | Hilltop |
| Structure | 3 levels, 5 stories |
| Condition | Reconstructed |
| Rating | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Historical Value | Top 100 Castles |
| Location | Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture |
| Map | Google Map |
| Access | HIgashi Okazaki Station (Meitetsu Line), 10 minute walk |
| Website | Okazaki City Website |
| Visited | March 1996 |
| Notes | Located near Nagoya, this castle is an easy stop on the way to Nagoya or as a half day trip from Nagoya. It's a fairly large castle and worth the trip if you're around Okazaki and have free time. |
| History | Saigo Tsugiyori built Okazaki-jo in 1455. Matsudaira Kiyoyasu captured the castle in 1524 and his famous grandson Matsudaira Motoyasu was born here on December 16, 1542. Motoyasu would later change his name to Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ieyasu succeeded to lord of the castle in 1560 and left his eldest son Nobuyasu in charge when he moved to Hamamatsu -jo in 1570. Nobuyasu left the castle to the Tanaka clan when the Tokugawa moved to Edo (Tokyo) in 1590. Later, Honda replaced Tanaka. Okazaki-jo, the birthplace of Japan's most famous leader, was unfortunately torn down in 1873. T5he reconstruction dates to 1959. |
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