- Okazaki Castle is the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
- Okazaki Castle,” which paved the way for Tokugawa Ieyasu’s unification of Japan
- There’s a history museum inside the reconstructed keep! Learn history with exhibits and dioramas!
- Access to Okazaki Castle
- Parking around Okazaki Castle
- Okazaki Castle Official Website
- Recommended around Okazaki Castle
Okazaki Castle is the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Okazaki Castle” was located in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, and is now located in Okazaki Park, a public park.
The origin of Okazaki Castle is said to be a fort built on Ryuzuyama (a small hill) by the Saigo clan around 1452.
In 1531, Matsudaira Kiyoyasu of Ansho Castle took this fortress and renovated and otherwise improved it, making it Okazaki Castle.
From then on, Matsudaira Kiyoyasu used Okazaki Castle as his new headquarters, aiming to unify the Mikawa province.
This Matsudaira Kiyoyasu was the grandfather of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Edo shogunate.
Kiyoyasu Matsudaira took over the reigns at the young age of 12, and by the time he was 20, he had expanded his power to the western and eastern Mikawa provinces, and even to the neighboring Owari province.
However, he died at the young age of 25 due to betrayal by a vassal during the Owari-Oda offensive in 1535.
After Kiyoyasu’s death, his successor, Hirotada, died in 1549 at the age of 24, and the Matsudaira clan gradually lost power.
Okazaki Castle,” which paved the way for Tokugawa Ieyasu’s unification of Japan
In 1543, Tokugawa Ieyasu (childhood name Takechiyo, first name Matsudaira Motonobu) was born at Okazaki Castle as the son of Matsudaira Hirotada.
Tokugawa Ieyasu, who later established the Edo shogunate and unified the country, spent his childhood as a hostage in the Oda family (about 2 years) and the Imagawa family (about 10 years).
In 1560, the Battle of Okehazama took place and his lord, Yoshimoto Imagawa, was defeated and died.
Ieyasu, who had participated in the battle on the Imagawa side, retreated to his hometown, Okazaki Castle, after Yoshimoto Imagawa was defeated.
At Okazaki Castle, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was 19 years old at the time, became independent from the Imagawa family and set out on the path to unify Japan.
There are many objects related to Ieyasu in the park.
The well used for Ieyasu’s birth, the bronze statues of Takechiyo, Matsudaira Motoyasu, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, which depict Ieyasu from his childhood to his later years, can be seen in the park.
There’s a history museum inside the reconstructed keep! Learn history with exhibits and dioramas!
The current keep at Okazaki Castle is a reconstructed reinforced concrete keep that was restored in 1959.
Okazaki Castle was the seat of the Okazaki domain during the Edo period (1603-1867) and was considered sacred as the “castle of the god’s birth.” However, most of the structures, including the castle tower, were destroyed due to the decree of castle abandonment during the Meiji Restoration. (The stone walls and moat remain.)
However, the castle tower was reconstructed in 1959 out of the desire of the local people and became the symbol of Okazaki Castle, which was selected as one of the 100 best castles in Japan in 2006.
Inside the current castle tower is a historical museum, where visitors can learn about the Edo period domain administration, the castle town, and the history of successive lords.
The top floor of the castle tower is an observation deck from which visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the city of Okazaki.
Access to Okazaki Castle
561-1, Kosei-cho, Okazaki-shi, Aichi 444-0052, Japan
・15-minute walk from Higashi Okazaki Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line
・10 minutes walk from “Naka Okazaki” station of Aichi Kanjo Railway
Parking around Okazaki Castle
Okazaki Castle Official Website
Official site：https://okazaki-kanko.jp/okazaki-park/feature/okazakijo/top