Okazaki Castle
岡崎城
| Founder | Saigo Tsugiyori |  |
| Year | 1455 | |
| Type | Hilltop | |
| Condition | Reconstructed | |
| Alternate Name | Ryu-jo | |
| Reconstructed | 1959 (concrete) | |
| Structure | 3 levels, 5 stories | |
| Admin's 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. The reconstruction dates to 1959. | |
| Photo Tags | ||
5 Viewer Comments
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Usagi
on
My Page
February 05, 2012 at 11:05 PM
Visited this castle as part of a weekend trip to Nagoya. Nice little castle with interesting grounds to walk around, worth the visit.
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Frank T.
on
My Page
October 16, 2011 at 08:02 PM
How is it that the admin rating for this castle is two stars? Granted, it's a reconstruction, but the park is nice, the keep is not a small one, and the site is of some historical importance. Everyone, not only castle fans, can enjoy a visit here.
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RaymondW
on
My Page
September 11, 2011 at 09:45 AM
I rushed my first visit to this castle three years ago, so I decided on a re-visit yesterday and actually walked around it a bit more leisurely. I got round to see more of the moats and ishigaki on the north side of the castle ground which I missed last time. There is a free English pamphlet available on request. You can only take photos on the top floor of the castle. The other parts of the castle museum have “no photo” signs all over. A 44-page book in Japanese with colour photos of some of the displays in the museum as well as the history of the castle is available for 600yen. The interior of the castle could have been done better with wooden panelling to hide all the concrete. Still, the museum was pretty good.
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Anonymous
September 29, 2008 at 09:31 PM
All is true, except I was not allowed to photo anything inside. Security cameras was watching everything. You could however take pictures from very top outside. Great view of city from there.
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Anonymous
February 17, 2008 at 08:03 AM
This is a terrific castle that is underrated. There is a large, beautiful park that surrounds the castle, and inside the castle, they have some good displays of samurai weapons and armour. Unlike some of the other bigger and well-known castles, you are allowed to take pictures of the displays inside. There are also 2 good traditional-style restaurants in the park, and there is a cheap business ryokan called Tomoe that I've stayed at which is a few minutes' walk from the park, for about 5000 yen/night including breakfast. I have some really fond memories there, especially walking through the park at night. You can only imagine what it must have been like back in the Edo-jidai.
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Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture
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