Kanazawa Castle


Kanazawa Castle is one of Kanazawa's most famous landmarks, a kind of city-forming structure - at one time the history of the city began precisely with the construction of the castle, which was erected in 1583 by order of the head of the clan Maeda. He served as the main strength of the clan. During World War II, the Kanazawa Castle housed the headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Army, and after the war the university. Since 1989 the building has opened its doors as a museum.

A bit of history

In the future, the castle was rebuilt many times, rebuilt, expanded. It was first reconstructed less than 10 years after construction, in 1592. New towers were built and several tiers added. After that, he rebuilt in 1621, and then - in 1632. In 1759, as a result of a large fire, he was badly injured, and then again was reconstructed.

In 1881, another fire destroyed a significant part of the buildings of the Kanazawa Castle - to this day only the Ishikawa Gate has survived. In 2001, what was left of the original structure was restored under the 1809 project - and using the technologies used to build the buildings in the 18th century.

Architectural features of the castle and its interior

The most interesting feature of the castle can be called its lead tiles. It played a double role during the defense of the castle: first, it is fire-resistant, and therefore the troops besieging the castle could not set it on fire, and secondly, if necessary, new bullets could be cast from this lead.

In general, the castle was well prepared for the attack. It is protected by:

The Ishikawa-mon Gate deserves special attention not only because they are the only structure that has been preserved since the 18th century - their clutch made in two different styles is also noteworthy. On the territory of the castle is also located a large Shinto shrine, erected in honor of Toshiye Maeda.

As a result of the reconstruction, not only the appearance of the castle buildings was recreated, but also the decoration of the premises, for example, the main hall, which is called the Palace of a thousand tatami.

In the castle you can admire the samples of carpentry and made of wood on a scale of 1:10 figures of carpenters. The castle is surrounded by a well-kept park, decorated in a traditional Japanese style, adjacent to the Canroku-en garden .

How to get to Kanazawa Castle?

Kanazawa Station is a bus ride away. There are several routes, one of which reaches the castle park, the other - to the gates of Ishikawa. The journey takes about 15 minutes.

The lock works daily; from October to March it is open from 8:00 to 17:00, the rest of the time - from 7:00 to 18:00. The castle does not work from December 29 to January 3. The cost of an adult ticket is 300 yen (about $ 2.6), children's (under 18 years old) - 100 yen (approximately $ 0.9). For children under 6 years, admission is free.