NAGOYA CASTLE

Nagoya Castle is a major tourist attraction for Nagoya. Nagoya Castle was reconstructed in 1959.

Nagoya Castle (名古屋城; -jō) is located in Nagoya Aichi, Japan. Shiba Yoshimune built the original castle around 1525. Oda Nobuhide took it from Imagawa Ujitoyo in 1532, but later abandoned it. Nagoya Castle is a classic Japanese Castle.

In 1610, Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered the various daimyo to help with the building of a new castle on the site. The castle's construction was completed in 1612. Until the Meiji Era, the castle was the home of the Owari clan of the Tokugawa family.

On top of the castle are two golden dolphins, called kinshachi. They are said to be a symbol of the feudal lord's authority. Both kinshachi were temporarily lowered from atop the castle and displayed on the castle grounds, and briefly at the site of the Aichi Expo 2005 from March 19th until June 19th of 2005, and were restored to the castle on July 9th the same year.

Nagoya Castle by  Michiel1972

During WWII, the castle was burnt to the ground, and most of its artifacts were destroyed; many of the paintings inside, however, survived and have been preserved to this day. The rebuilding of the castle finished in 1959. Today the castle is a modern concrete building with air conditioning and elevators. In addition, there are plans to reconstruct the Hommaru Palace (本丸御殿 Hommaru Goten), which was also lost to fire during the war. Many of the paintings from this palace were also rescued, and replicas of these paintings will be placed in their appropriate locations within the restored palace.

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