# Gifu Castle

- **Country:** Japan
- **Coordinates:** 35.433889, 136.782222
- **Location Text:** (Inabayama Castle), Gifu, Gifu

Gifu Castle is a historic mountaintop fortress located atop Mount Kinka in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Originally constructed between 1201 and 1204 by the Nikaidō clan during the Kamakura period, the site began as a small fort before being significantly expanded in the Muromachi period. The structure served as a critical strategic stronghold commanding the main route into Mino Province from the Tōkaidō highway. Historically, it was protected by two major rivers, the Nagara and the Kiso, although a severe flood in 1586 altered the course of the latter. The castle is famously associated with the Sengoku period warlord Oda Nobunaga, who used it as a base for his campaigns to unify Japan, and it was previously known as Inabayama Castle under the rule of the Saitō clan.

The original wooden structures were demolished around 1600, but the site remains a designated National Historic Site of Japan, recognized officially in 2011. The current main keep is a modern reconstruction built using reinforced concrete, standing as a prominent symbol of the city alongside Mount Kinka and the Nagara River. While the original materials are unknown, the contemporary iteration allows visitors to appreciate the scale of the complex, which historically covered the entire mountain from summit to base. The location offers significant historical insight into the turbulent era of feudal Japan, including tales of internal clan conflicts and the ruthless rise of figures like Saitō Dōsan, known as the Viper of Mino. Today, the castle serves as a cultural landmark and tourist attraction, preserving the legacy of the samurai age for future generations.

![Photo of Gifu Castle](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Gifu%20Castle.jpg)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gifu_Castle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)