SilkCode LibraryCastles of Japan
No. 039Hokuriku & TokaiGifu

Gifu Castle

岐阜城

Reconstructed buildings

Gifu Castle links a mountain stronghold with residences below, and is closely associated with Oda Nobunaga. Its 1956 reconstructed keep is closed for renovation as of September 2026.

Gifu Castle keep seen through trees, before the current renovation
Gifu Castle keep seen through trees, before the current renovationPhoto: Springhuhn · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Resized and converted to WebP. Cards crop the display.This photograph shows the site at the time it was taken. Check the notes and official sources for current restoration work and access.

Get to know the castle

Castle at a glance

Site & layout
Mountain castle
Origins
Developed during the Warring States period; present keep built in 1956
Builders & patrons
The Saito family, Oda Nobunaga and other lords
Other names
Inabayama Castle
What remains today
Summit and lower-site remains; a modern reconstructed keep

THE STORY

The story behind the walls

Previously known as Inabayama Castle, it was a seat of Saito Dosan and his successors. Nobunaga took the castle in 1567 and made Gifu his headquarters. The keep seen today is a modern reconstruction completed in 1956. In September 2026 both the keep and museum are closed, with reopening planned for November 2027.

LAYOUT & ARCHITECTURE

Read the landscape and the buildings.

Enclosures and walls occupied the steep summit, with residential buildings below. The whole mountain formed part of the defence. The modern keep should be read alongside archaeological remains, rather than treated as an exact reconstruction of the entire wartime castle.

A CLOSER LOOK

Details worth a closer look.

01

Mount Kinka as a fortress

The summit fortress and lower residences used Mount Kinka as a single defensive landscape. Their separation reveals how daily life and defence were organised.

02

Nobunaga’s headquarters

Nobunaga is generally understood to have captured the castle in 1567 and used Gifu as his base. Remains at the foot of the mountain add a different perspective from the modern keep.

03

Caring for the reconstructed keep

The present keep is not a surviving Warring States structure. Built in 1956, it now requires its own programme of structural improvement and preservation.

THROUGH THE YEARS

A short timeline

  1. 1567

    Oda Nobunaga captured the castle and established his Gifu base.

  2. 1956

    The present keep was reconstructed.

  3. 2026–2027 (planned)

    Keep and museum closed for renovation; reopening planned for November 2027.

BEFORE YOU GO

A note before you go.

As of September 2026 the keep and museum are closed, and scaffolding and sheeting conceal the keep. Check official trail restrictions and ropeway operation before travelling.

Official visitor information ↗Find it on a map ↗

Information checked: 27 September 2026

Sources & official information

Some official sources are available in Japanese only.

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