The area surrounding the castle is one of the oldest settled areas in what is modern-day Nagoya. Built in 1612, the old castle-town borders correspond to what is today known as Naka ward.
The area has traditionally been the centre of government for the city and for Aichi Prefecture in general. You will find a range of government institutions and a number of historically and architecturally significant buildings, so don't limit yourself to a castle visit alone.
History
Nagoya Castle, following the Edo and Nijo Castles, was the last great castle constructed by Ieyasu Tokugawa and is of significant historical value, as it determined the castle style of the Edo shogunate. Particularly the Hommaru Palace, a typical samurai residence with rooms such as the entrance hall, main hall, and meeting hall placed in succession, was renowned as a masterpiece of modern castle palaces built between the Azuchi-Momoyama period and the beginning of the Edo period, which ran from the mid-16th to the early 17th century.
Foundation works for the castle started in 1610. The donjons and towers were completed in 1612, and the Hommaru Palace in 1615. Originally, the Hommaru Palace was used as a residence and government office of Lord Tokugawa of the Owari Clan, but it later served as quarters for shoguns who stopped over in this area on their way to Kyoto. The most magnificent building, the Joraku Hall, where the third shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa stayed, was added in 1634.
The castle suffered major damage in May 1945, during an air raid. Most of the structures, including the main and small donjons and the Hommaru Palace, were burned down. Fortunately, however, three corner towers, three gates, the tea house, and gardens, along with most of the paintings on the sliding doors and walls in the Hommaru Palace, survived the fire. Although the donjons were rebuilt in 1959 to their original appearance, only the founding stones of the Hommaru Palace are visible today.
Things to See
The best-known items associated with castle are the golden dolphins, or kinshachci. These were also destroyed in the bombing raid but were replaced when the main donjon was rebuilt in 1959. Each weighing 88kg, they are plated in 18K gold.
The main donjon houses the museum of over five floors, displaying artifacts and screens representative of the Edo period. Most of the exhibits are shown without English translation (some have translations), but that doesn't detract from the experience--you can almost feel the history coming through the walls and floor.
Perhaps the only negative is that photography is not allowed on the main five floors; it is only allowed on the 6th-floor observation deck.
Meijo Park, which surrounds the park, is famous for its cherry trees--over 1,600. The 630-seat, traditional-style Nagoya Noh Theatre opened in April 1997 and is located across the road from the castle's main gate.
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