Azuchi castle

安土城 azuchi-jô

castle ruin / japanische Burg

Mount Azuchi on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa

From 1576 to 1579, General ODA Nobunaga had a huge castle complex built on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa. The magnificent, fireproof and defence-proof complex with a seven-storey main tower was strategically located near the capital Kyôto, high up on a plateau overlooking Lake Biwa and the Nakasendô and Tôkaidô traffic routes, where his most important enemies were to be found. In 1582, immediately after Nobunaga’s death, the castle was almost completely destroyed. All that remains are the outer walls, a small town called Azuchi and the name of an entire era characterised by two castles – Azuchi-jô and Momoyama-jô: Azuchi-Momoyama.