Nagoya Castle Hommaru Palace: Behold the Gorgeous and Luxurious Palace Restored after 400 Years!

"Nagoya Castle Hommaru Palace", which was destroyed by war damage and longed for restoration, was revived on Friday, June 8, 2018 after a 10-year restoration plan. Ever since it was completed, I've been wanting to go, but I haven't been able to, but the other day, I finally did!

This time, I will tell you about the attractions and highlights of Nagoya Castle Hommaru Palace.

The History of Nagoya Castle, the Residence of the Owari Tokugawa Family

First, I would like to review the history of Nagoya Castle.

The history of Nagoya Castle dates back to after the Battle of Sekigahara. Tokugawa Ieyasu decided to build Nagoya Castle in 1609 as the final milestone in his unification of Japan. In 1612, the main and small castle towers were completed. The main castle tower was topped with Kinshachi (golden dolphin), making it the symbol of the Owari Tokugawa family. Construction of the Hommaru Palace also began in the same year, and was completed in 1615. After its completion, Ieyasu's ninth son, Yoshinao, became the feudal lord and made the Hommaru Palace his residence.

Nagoya Castle Honmaru Goten, which was built with the most advanced technology by the craftsmen of the time, and is considered a masterpiece of early modern castle buildings and was designated as the first National Treasure. However, in 1945, the castle towers, Hommaru Palace, and other major buildings were destroyed by fire in an air raid during the World War II.

After the war, construction began on the rebuilding of the castle tower in 1957, thanks to the voices of the citizens. In 1959, the main and small castle towers and the main gate (Enokidamon) were rebuilt in steel-reinforced concrete.

For a while after that, the Hommaru Palace was not rebuilt, but in 2009 (Heisei 21), restoration and maintenance work began. Although the building was destroyed by fire, it was possible to faithfully reconstruct the building because of the paintings on the walls, arts and crafts, prewar photographs, and measured drawings that were left behind.

After the opening of the entrance (Omoteshoin) to the public in 2013 (Heisei 25), and the opening of the facing room and lower dining room in 2016 (Heisei 28), the building was completed and opened completely to the public in 2018 (Heisei 30) after 10 years of construction.

It has been restored down to the pillars, roof, painted barriers, and detailed decorations.

So let's get going!

Living in Nagoya, I rarely go to Nagoya Castle, so it's been a long time. Nagoya Castle has two entrances, the main gate and the east gate, and you can enter from either.

First, pay 500 yen at the ticket counter to purchase a ticket. If you use a one-day pass or Donichi Eco Ticket, you can get a discount if you present it at the ticket window.

Adult: 500 yen
Senior citizens in Nagoya city*: 100 yen
Junior high school students and younger: Free

*Persons aged 65 and over living in Nagoya City. Please bring a document that can confirm your address, age and identity.
Examples: Keiro Techo issued by Nagoya City, driver's license, passport, etc.

The ticket is golden color! It is time to enter Nagoya Castle!

After a 10-minute walk, I arrived at the main shrine. It is quite a sight to see up close! The Kinshachi is shining brightly, too.

The current castle tower is a concrete structure rebuilt in 1959, but it has been decided to restore the wooden structure from the Edo period. Maybe there are only a few days left to see Nagoya Castle in its current style! They are aiming for completion of restoration in 2027.

On the north side of the castle tower, there are many stones placed, which were the foundation stones of the old castle tower that burned down in 1945, and remained in the ruins of the fire for a long time.

When strolling around Nagoya Castle, pay attention to the manhole covers. They depict Nagoya's famous landmarks, such as Nagoya Castle, the Port of Nagoya, and the TV Tower.

Finally the highlight of this time! I arrived at Hommaru Palace. There are quite a few people even on weekdays. We will proceed along the route.

Honmaru Palace was built in 1615 (Keicyo 20) as the residence of the first feudal lord, Yoshinao Tokugawa. However, it was lived in as a residence for only about five years. After that, it was used as a guest house.