Azuchi Castle, fit for a Japanese king!

Azuchi Castle or Azuchi-jō, built in 1579 by the warlord Oda Nobunaga was the first of its kind. A yama-shiro (mountain castle), it was built on a plain, on the top of a densely-forested mountain that stood 120 metres above the waters of its illustrious neighbour on the west, the Lake Biwa. Nobunaga created a magnificent jōka-machi (castle town) that housed about five thousand families and its curved roads, with lively markets was plenished with craftsmen and merchants. The Azuchi-jō marked the change on the function of castles, which for the first time, one had served as the residency of its Lord and his chief retainers, and was used as a place for political negotiations and meetings.

Therefore, many architectural features were incorporated in order to make it an effective defensive stronghold. Sadly, the castle is no longer extant. After the death of Nobunaga, the traitor Mitsuhide set the complex on fire, bringing the whole structure to its knees. Regardless, this iconic castle played an instrumental role in the Japanese culture, and is fully accredited by lending its name to the period that lasted from 1568 to 1600 CE – the Azuchi-Momoyama Period.

The interior of what was supposed to be the Azuchi Castle

All rooms were divided by extravagantly decorated shōjis (sliding paper walls), depicting vibrant pictures of legendary dragons, ferocious tigers, flowers, and religious figures; all embellished with golden dust and vivid-colour finishing. On the sixth floor stood the splendid octagonally shaped chamber. This was the room used to impress important visitors and friends. Measuring three ken square (about 6.36 square metres), was the jaw-dropping 7th floor golden penthouse suite. Its internal walls were decorated in luxury gold and black lacquer with very busy colourful patterns painted all over them. It had balconies placed at four sides, which provided a 360-degree panoramic view of the citadel and the mighty Lake Biwa.