Nagoya Castle was constructed under the order of Tokugawa Ieyasu who founded the Tokugawa Shogunate after the battle of Sekigahara and resolved in 1609 to move from Kiyosu to build a castle in Nagoya in order to secure an important position on the Tokaido highway and to ward off attacks from the direction of Osaka. Construction of the donjons began in 1610 and ended in 1612. Nagoya Castle is an exemplary castle of those built on flat lands.
Kato Kiyomasa, Fukushima Masanori, and Maeda Toshimitsu were some of the 20 feudal lords from the northern and western part of Japan who were appointed to the construction. THe inscriptions of feudal lords and their vassals carved on the stones they carried are still visible today on the stone walls. Up until the Meiji Restoration, Nagoya Castle flourished as the castle where the Tokugawa lineage of Owari, the foremost of the three Tokugawa family lineages, resided.
At the beginning of the Meiji era the Army Ministry administered the castle, and the Nagoya Detached Garrison and barracks were disposed on the castle grounds. Transferred to the Imperial Household Ministry in 1893, the castle became the Nagoya Imperial Villa. IN 1930, after the abolition of the Imperial Villa, the castle was brought under the administration of the City of Nagoya and was opened to the public in February of the following year.
In May 1945, due to the air raids on Nagoya during World War II, buildings such as the main and small donjons, and the Hommaru Palace were burned down. Fortunately, three towers, three gates, and 1,047 paintings on the sliding doors and walls of the palace survived the fire and have been designated as important national cultural assets. In 1959, the main and small donjons, and the main gate were practically restored to their original form.
Back ground music courtesy of IODA
Samurai Oshari MG MUSIC LTD (NEW AGE, WORLD)
Step into the ancient world of the Samurai, a culture devoted in their pursuit of balance of mind, body, spirit, and perfection. The music is performed on many authentic instruments such as Taiko drums and Shaku flutes which gives the CD a unique Japanese atmosphere, which is both Zen like and soul stirring.
The music is performed on many authentic instruments such as Taiko drums
and Shaku flutes which gives the CD a unique Japanese atmosphere, which
is both Zen like and soul stirring.
Tracts: 1. The Sword
AloJapan.com