Gifu Castle
岐阜城 · 기후시
Contents
8 sections · tap a section for its opening lines1Orientation2:00
Welcome to Gifu Castle, a fortress that stands as a literal and metaphorical peak of Japanese military history. Perched precariously atop Mount Kinka, over 300 meters above the Nagara River, this castle was once the command…
Listen in the app2Gifu Park — The Foot of the Fortress1:50
Our journey begins at the base of the mountain in Gifu Park, a serene space that was once the site of Oda Nobunaga’s opulent residential palace. While the castle at the summit was a military redoubt, the palace here was a…
Listen in the app3The Kinka-zan Ropeway — Ascent into History1:45
To reach the summit, we board the Kinka-zan Ropeway, a two-minute journey that provides a dramatic perspective on the castle’s tactical positioning. As the gondola rises, the city of Gifu shrinks away, and the strategic…
Listen in the app4Kinka-zan Risu-mura — The Squirrel Sanctuary1:42
An unexpected but beloved feature near the summit is the Squirrel Village, or Risu-mura. This attraction has its roots in the 1936 Japan Expo held in Gifu, where a group of squirrels brought for display escaped into the wild on…
Listen in the app5The Stone Foundations — Foundations of Power1:38
As we leave the squirrels behind and follow the forest path toward the castle, we encounter the original stone foundations, or Ishigaki. These walls are the most authentic remnants of the medieval fortress. …
Listen in the app6Inside the Tenshu — A Museum of the Warring States1:43
Entering the Tenshu, or castle tower, we move through a series of exhibits that detail the life and times of Oda Nobunaga and the subsequent lords of Gifu. The current structure is a concrete reconstruction built in the 1950s,…
Listen in the app7The Observation Deck — The Unifier's Horizon1:40
Standing on the top floor of the Tenshu, we are presented with a 360-degree panorama that is arguably the finest in central Japan. This is the perspective of a ruler. …
Listen in the app8Closing1:36
As we descend from the heights of Mount Kinka, we carry with us a deeper understanding of how Gifu Castle shaped the destiny of Japan. This is more than a scenic overlook; it is a monument to the beginning of the end of centuries…
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What is Gifu Castle?
Gifu Castle is a place in 기후시 with 8 story sections on Tellby. You can read the opening of each section on this page; the sound plays in the app.
| Location | 기후시 |
|---|---|
| Type | Heritage |
| Story sections | 8 |
| Total length | 13 min 54 s in all |
| Text language | English |
| Coordinates | 35.4339, 136.7822 |
| Last updated |