Gifu Castle - History

History

Gifu Castle was first built by the Nikaidō clan between 1201 and 1204 during the Kamakura Period.

Originally called Inabayama Castle (稲葉山城 Inabayama-jō), Gifu Castle has gone through many numbers of repairs over the course of several generations. Even though it was famous as a physically powerful castle, it was once taken over by a mere sixteen men.

During the Sengoku period a samurai by the name of Takenaka Hanbei went to the castle to visit his sick brother. In reality, he went to the castle not to visit his brother but to kill Saitō Tatsuoki, the lord of castle. When Hanbei struck at him, Tatsuoki was very confused—believing an enemy army had come to attack him—and fled. Thus, Hanbei obtained Inabayama Castle with relative ease.

Later, Hanbei returned the castle to his lord, but Tatsuoki had lost an immeasurable amount of reputation and honor due to his perceived cowardly flight from the castle. When Oda Nobunaga attacked Inabayama Castle, many men under Tatsuoki remembered this event and defected. After easily defeating Tatsuoki, Nobunaga claimed the castle and made it his primary base-of-operations.

Nobunaga renamed the stronghold "Gifu Castle," following an example set by an ancient Chinese practice. Nobunaga then proceeded to renovate the castle into a far more impressive and grandiose structure than its previous incarnation. Luis Frois, a renowned Jesuit Missionary from Portugal, was personally invited by Nobunaga to visit the castle. After a short stay in Gifu, Frois praised the castle's extraordinary beauty.

The Battle of Gifu Castle in 1600 served as a prelude to both the Battle of Sekigahara and the destruction of Gifu Castle in the same year. After the demolition of the castle, part of the structure was brough to Kanō Castle to the south to fortify its position.