AZUCHI-JO

The building of one of the most advanced castles of the time, Azuchi-jo ('jo' meaning castle) in 1576, stimulated a major turning point in castle building techniques, Japanese architecture, and the role that the castle played socially, politically and physically in Japanese society. The building of Azuchi-jo inaugurated the primary era of castle construction in Japan. Castles and palaces began to be openly and lavishly erected as replacements to temples, which had been previously built to reflect the power of warlords.

A drawing by Kano Munihide of Oda Nobunaga 1583. (Rekishikan p600)

In the century prior to 1568, civil war was rampant throughout Japan. Warlords held power and fought for various parts of the land. In 1568, Oda Nobunaga who was attempting to bring peace and political stability to Japan through a movement for unified control, acquired enough power to take de facto control of the government. ( Orui Castles in Japan p18) In turn, he became one of the most powerful warlords in the central part of Japan, and to reflect this he had built the grand castle Azuchi-jo.

Nobunaga built Azuchi-jo just 40 kilometres east of Kyoto, home of the Imperial court at the time. It was built on the intersection of the three major highways which converged on Kyoto, on the shores of Lake Biwa. ( Law Japanese Castles p5) This location was strategically of great importance as from the castle Nobunaga could control the main routes to Kyoto, and could also keep a watch on his main adversaries. Lake Biwa also allowed Nobunaga access to water transportation which was used for transporting materials to build his castle.

A model of what Azuchi-jo was believed to have appeared like. (Rekishikanp600)

The construction of Azuchi-jo began in 1576, and most historians agree that it took three and a half years to complete. Nobunaga felt the need to build a stronger fortification than was customary. He was aware of the damage that firearms were capable of and opted to use stone for the construction of his castle instead of the traditional wood. Nobunaga summoned labourers, masons, carpenters, tile moulders, artists, blacksmiths and lacquerers from surrounding provinces. (Hijodo, Y. Azuchi-jo saiken p31 ) These workers set up their homes within close proximity of the castle and this was the beginning of the formation of the castle town 'Azuchi'.

Azuchi-jo was one of the first castles to be of the mountain-plain type. This signified a movement from building castles up on the summit of hills to extending the castle in part to the plane as well. The mountain-plain type allowed troops the area to sally out against an enemy on open ground in the event of an attack, yet its steep rising slopes offered some measure of protection against an aggressor. Castles such as Osaka and Himeji-jo followed this convention.

With the introduction of firearms by the Portuguese, it was important that the castle Nobunaga built was effective as a defensive stronghold. There were still feudal adversaries that Nobunaga had to reckon with, who had just as much if not more military strength and territories than he. Azuchi-jo therefore presented forms of Japanese military architecture that had never been seen before. Much time was spent by Nobunaga and his secretaries on the nawabari of the castle. The main and minor compounds of the castle centred on the tenshu, were arranged in a complex manner so as to make it difficult for the enemy to enter. Within his castle he built a system of multiple concentric courts. Nobunaga also introduced the masugata, a very important feature in the defence system of the castle.

Nobunaga was the first lord to construct a tenshu otherwise known as a donjon. That is he was the first warlord to have piled one story on top of the other story, each covering a little less than the one below it.( Law p6) Nobunaga had contact with many Portuguese through trading firearms, and many historians believe that this contact with the west influenced the building of the tenshu. It appeared to be six stories on the outside but infact had seven stories on the inside. Building a secret story inside the donjon was a defence strategy that became very popular in Japanese castle building.

Azuchi-jo was also used as a place for political negotiations and meetings. For the first time the residence of the castle lord and his chief retainers were included within the boundaries of the castle. The castle from this period onwards had a political function. That is it was a place of great political importance, where political meetings were held. This change in identity bought more people to the area surrounding the castle and was another important factor in the formation of the castle town, 'Azuchi'.

"Karajishi zubyobu",one of Kano Eitoku's paintings. This painting is representative of the type of painting that Eitoku did inside Azuchi-jo. (Rekishikan p620)

The interior of Azuchi-jo was reported to have been lavishly decorated. The first floor of the castle was built of stone and used for storage. The walls of the second floor were covered in gold and decorated with paintings of plum blossoms. There were also numerous paintings of geese, monks, peasants and flowers. The walls of the seventh floor of the castle had gold leaf covering both inside and out. ( Kirby From Castle to Teahouse p56 ) Kano Eitoku, a famous painter at the time, contributed the paintings inside the castle. The majority of his paintings were done on sliding paper partitions. This greatly influenced Japanese art, and partition painting became part of major Japanese building architecture. Not one wall of the interior of the castle was said to be left unadorned and this effort to dazzle the eye became a characteristic of the art of the period, referred to as the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573-1600). ( Nishi and Hazumi What is Japanese Architecture? p93)

favourite swords.(Rekishikan p601)

In 1582, the great Azuchi-jo was burned to the ground, by the leader of a revolt against Nobunaga. Unfortunately the only account of Azuchi-jo that remains is one that was written by Nobunaga's counsellor Izumi no Kami Toshikazu.( Kirby p56 ) No original plans or pictures of the castle were preserved and today nothing but a few stones covered in moss and a few steps remain. (Law p4) Almost all of the castles that followed Azuchi-jo copied its main features, such as the building of a donjon, and a competition broke out among the feudal lords on whose castle was the most magnificent. The castle was now seen not just as a stronghold but as a reflection of a feudal lords political power.

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