Virtual Tour | Honmaru Palace: The Immaculate Residence of Nagoya Castle’s Feudal Lords
There have been defensive forts in this area for centuries, though Nagoya Castle took its current form from the early 1600s after Tokugawa Ieyasu was in a position to truly ‘unify’ Japan (after changing hands several times, of course). Nagoya is located between Tokyo (formerly Edo) and the Kyoto-Osaka areas. It was essentially a link between the five main roads used to control the flow of goods, people, and ideas. There was a smaller castle on the site but abandoned by the Oda Clan in 1582. Ieyasu ordered the castle to be rebuilt between 1600-1609 and overseen by the Owari Branch of the Tokugawa Clan. Much of the material came from the nearby Kiyosu Castle and up to 20 feudal lords were ordered to help pay for and construct the castle.
Honmaru Palace was the residence of the lord of the Castle. It was known for its opulence, and even upgraded for a visit by the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1634. The renowned artist from the Kano school, Kano Sadanobu was charged with painting the beautiful walls of the palace. While much of this is replicated, many artifacts (panels and screens, decorative covers, architectural design prints, and various writings) did survive the bombing during World War Two, giving historians an accurate understanding of the castle in its pre-war form.
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