Kiso River Side Baidi City: Inuyama

Inuyama Castle is one of Japan's five great national treasure castles, alongside Himeji Castle, Matsumoto Castle, Hikone Castle, and Matsue Castle. Among them, Inuyama Castle is famous for having the oldest tenshu (main keep) in Japan. Inuyama Castle was originally built in 1537 by Oda Nobuyasu, uncle of Oda Nobunaga. Due to the Sengoku period, the castle saw frequent changes of lords. In 1584, Toyotomi Hideyoshi led an army of over 120,000 from Osaka to the castle and fought Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was stationed at Komakiyama. During the Edo period, the castle came under the ownership of the Naruse family of the Owari domain (1617). It remained hereditary until the Meiji era. In Meiji 4 (1871), when Naruse Masashige was the ninth lord, the castle was abandoned due to the abolition of feudal domains. Except for the tenshu, most other buildings were dismantled. In Meiji 24 (1891), the Nōbi earthquake severely damaged the southeast corner turret of the tenshu. On the condition of repairs, Inuyama Castle was returned to the Naruse family. Later, it was damaged and rebuilt after the Isewan Typhoon. In Showa 10 (1935), it was designated a national treasure. In Heisei 16 (2004), ownership of the castle changed from private to a foundation (Inuyama Castle Baidi Library). At the foot of Inuyama are the Hariyasu Shrine, Inaho Shrine, and Sarutahiko Shrine. Ahead lies the Shitamachi—traditional Japanese alleys (Photos 2-5). Inuyama Castle stands on the south bank of the Kiso River. From the tenshu, the panoramic views of the surroundings are breathtaking. Since ancient times, it has been called the "Japanese Baidi City" because its scenery closely resembles the Baidi City of the Three Gorges in China (Photos 1, 6-10). At dusk, under the softly lit backdrop of Inuyama Castle, fishermen on the Kiso River catch fish using cormorant fishing with powerful chants (Photo 11). Descending from Inuyama Castle, turn left towards Hotel Indigo to visit Yurakuen Joan—one of Japan’s national treasure tea rooms (Photos 12-20). This is actually a traditional Japanese garden. Every step reveals a new scene, reminiscent of Kyoto temples, especially famous for its spring cherry blossoms and autumn maple leaves. What makes it special is that every glance reveals not only the exquisite garden but also Inuyama Castle on the distant mountain. Joan was created by Oda Urakusai (1547-1621), brother of Oda Nobunaga, originally located in Kyoto. Urakusai was a famous Japanese tea master. His life was full of ups and downs, and in his later years, he lived in seclusion at Kennin-ji Temple in Kyoto. Yurakuen Joan is one of Japan’s three great national treasure tea rooms (Photos 14-17). Genan (Photo 18). Koan—experience the Japanese tea ceremony (Photos 19-20). Although Inuyama Castle is not large, it is very enjoyable to explore at a leisurely pace.