Inuyama Castle

The Castle Tower and the Tea Ceremony Arbor; two national treasuresNational Treasure Inuyama Castle and its castle town. Back in 1537 when Toyotomi,Hideyoshi, one of the most powerful samurai leaders, was born, the castle was constructed by Oda Nobuyasu; another renowned samurai leader, Oda Nobunaga’ uncle. Throughout the warring-states period, Inuyama Castle fulfilled a strategic function for their struggle for hegemony.　The wooden castle tower on the southern bank of the Kiso river is Japan’s existing oldest castle tower and designated as a national treasure. You will enjoy seeing magnificent scenery of the extensive Nobi plain and the Kiso river from there. Urakuen garden, east of the castle, keeps a tranquil atmosphere with ‘Jo-an’, a national treasure, tea ceremony house and the important cultural asset, ‘Kyu Shodenin Shoin’ house. The castle town still keeps the original citadel layout faithfully. In the town, you will see traditional wooden houses, storages to keep festival floats shown in Inuyama Festival and mechanical dolls.