was a castle that was built during peace time in the 15th and 16th centuries, but only its ruins, including the base of the donjon and walls, remain in the present-day city of Gifu

Gifu, Gifu

is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku period, various warlords, including Oda Nobunaga, used...

, Gifu Prefecture

Gifu Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

History

The first construction of Kanō Castle began in 1445 by Saitō Toshinaga

Saito Toshinaga

was a daimyo during Japan's Muromachi period. He was the son of Saitō Sōen , shugo of Mino Province, and the older brother of Saitō Myōchin, making him the uncle of the warlord Saitō Dōsan. By his first wife, he was the father of Saitō Toshifuji and Saitō Noriaki...

, who was a vassal of the Toki Clan. However, the castle was not completed until 1538. In 1601, when Gifu Castle

Gifu Castle

is a castle located in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Along with Mount Kinka and the Nagara River, it is one of the main symbols of the city.-History:Gifu Castle was first built by the Nikaidō clan between 1201 and 1204 during the Kamakura Period....

 was dismantled, Kanō Castle became the area's main castle and Gifu Castle's main citadel became Kanō Castle's own three-story Ni-no-maru.

In 1603, Okudaira Nobumasa moved into the castle and it became the Okudaira family's residence. Kanō Tenman-gū

Kano Tenman-gu

is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It was built as the shrine to protect Izumii Castle . As a Tenman-gū, it is dedicated to Tenjin, the deified form of Sugawara no Michizane. Additionally, Matsudaira Mitsushige, who first created Gifu Umbrellas, is also...

, which was built simultaneously with the castle, was a private place of worship for the family. Because it was located in a popular post town, Kanō-juku

Kano-juku

was the fifty-third of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō. It is located just south of JR Gifu Station in Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. During the Edo period, it was an independent post town that was approximately wide, making it the largest post towns in Mino Province.Kanō Tenman-gū is...

, it eventually became so that commoners could worship there, too.