Okazaki Castle

Okazaki Castle is a historic hilltop-style Japanese castle located in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Originally established as an earthen fortification by Saigo Tsugiyori in 1455, the structure was demolished and rebuilt on its current site in 1542 by Matsudaira Kiyoyasu. The castle holds immense historical significance as the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, who was born there in 1543. Throughout the feudal era, it served as a strategic stronghold for the Matsudaira clan before passing to the Imagawa and eventually returning to Ieyasu's control following the Battle of Okehazama. Later, it became the seat of the Honda clan, who governed the Okazaki Domain for much of the Edo period until the Meiji Restoration.

Following the abolition of the han system in 1871, the castle served briefly as a prefectural headquarters before being demolished in 1873 under government directive, with most of its land sold to private owners. The iconic three-story donjon visible today is a ferroconcrete reconstruction completed in 1959 to promote local tourism, featuring three roofs and five interior floors. Despite being a modern reconstruction rather than an original structure, it was recognized in 2006 as one of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan. Currently open to the public, the site functions as a museum housing artifacts from the original fortress and offers visitors insight into the region's samurai heritage and the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu.