Nagoya Castle

The Castle can be reached from the Central Station by subway. The main tower 157ft/ 48m high, was rebuilt in 1959; on the gable are two gilded dolphins (shachi). It now houses a museum containing art treasures from the palace which was destroyed during the last war, including painted wall screens, sliding doors and wall paintings, mainly of the Kano school. From the fifth floor of the tower there are extensive views of the city and the Nobi Plain. From the original castle there survive three corner towers, the second gateway and walls. To the east of the castle tower is the Ninomaru Garden, with a teahouse.

The castle was built in 1612 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the then-shogun of the Edo government. Until the revolution of 1867 it was the residence of the Owari Tokugawas, one of the three Tokugawa houses. Much of the castle was burnt down in 1945 during the World War II air raids.