Stand where the Owari lords governed
Nagoya Castle is a Japanese castle in Nagoya, built by the Owari Domain in 1612 on the site of an earlier castle of the Oda clan. For the centuries before the Meiji Restoration it flourished as the seat of the Owari branch, the foremost of the three Tokugawa clan lineages, and its core spaces — the Ninomaru Palace among them — served as both the lord's residence and the supreme government office for domain administration. The castle became the heart of one of Japan's most important castle towns, Nagoya-juku, a post station on the Minoji road linking the Tōkaidō and the Nakasendō, and it became the core of the modern city when ownership passed to the city in 1930. The name echoes through the city still: the shortform Meijō (名城) turns up in institutions such as Meijō Park, the Meijō Line of the subway, and Meijo University. The castle has also historically been called Kinjō (金城), "Golden Castle."
Golden shachi, carved stones, and a palace brought back
What you come to see first is the pair of golden carp — the kin-no-shachi — on the roof, the landmark the castle is trumpeted for. Close up, the grounds hold evidence of the enormous effort that raised the castle: Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered daimyō to help with construction, and the inscriptions of feudal lords and their vassals, carved on the stones they carried, are still visible today.
Much of what stands now is a story of loss and rebuilding. The castle was partially destroyed in 1945 during the bombing of Nagoya, and reconstruction and repair have been ongoing since 1957. The main keep was rebuilt in concrete in 1959 and is being demolished to make way for a more faithful reconstruction using traditional materials and methods. The Honmaru Goten, the main palace of the castle's lords, was reconstructed using traditional materials and methods in 2018 — the room to linger in. Free English tours with volunteer English-speaking Japanese guides are sometimes available.
Making the most of your visit
- Go in the morning. The castle is open daily from 09:00 and closes at 16:30, so an early start gives you the grounds before the day fills. It is closed from December 29 to January 1.
- Give it real time. Between the keep, the reconstructed Honmaru Goten, and the inscribed stones scattered through the enclosures, this is not a quick photo stop.
- Don't miss the Honmaru Goten. The 2018 reconstruction in traditional materials is the closest you can get to the palace life of the Owari lords — the highlight of the visit.
- Getting there. Take the subway to Shiyakusho Station on the Meijo line and walk about five minutes from exit 7.
What else is close by
When you leave the castle grounds, a few other places in Nagoya are worth folding into the same day: a temple, the Nagoya City Municipal Archives Museum, 日本キリスト教団 (the United Church of Christ in Japan), and 日本同盟基督教団 名古屋福音伝道教会.
Start with the subway map: the Meijo line puts the castle within a short walk of Shiyakusho Station, and the rest of your day in Nagoya can build outward from there. Plan around a morning arrival, leave room for the Honmaru Goten, and let the carved stones slow you down on the way out.