Nagoya Castle — Golden Shachihoko on the Roof and a Name Chosen for Its Sound
Nagoya Castle was built in 1610–1612 by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu for his nine-year-old son Yoshinao, founder of the Owari branch. The tenshu burned down in an air raid in May 1945; the concrete tower was rebuilt in 1959, and the Honmaru Palace was reconstructed in wood and opened in 2018. Replacing the tenshu with a wooden replica has been delayed for years by a dispute over an elevator for visitors with limited mobility — no construction timeline has been set.
Nagoya Castle has a rare fate even by the standards of Japanese castles. The golden fish on the roof made it a recognizable symbol of the city, the tenshu survived both a fire and a full concrete rebuild, and the palace beside it was restored in wood almost as the original. Here is what was built by order of Ieyasu, what burned in 1945, and why the name "Nagoya" itself remains a mystery even to toponymy specialists.
Nagoya Castle: Residence of the Owari House with Golden Fish on the Roof
Nagoya Castle in the city of the same name was built by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu as a fortress against a possible threat from Osaka Castle, where heirs of Toyotomi still remained. It became the residence of nine-year-old Tokugawa Yoshinao, the ninth son of Ieyasu and founder of the Owari daimyo line — one of the three main branches of the Tokugawa clan.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1610 | Construction begins, carried out by twenty western daimyo by order of the shogunate (tenka-bushin) |
| 1612 | Construction of the main tower is completed |
| 1945 | The May air raid on Nagoya destroys the tenshu and the Honmaru Palace |
| 1959 | The concrete tenshu is rebuilt |
| 2018 | The Honmaru Palace is reconstructed in wood and opened to visitors |
Why the Tenshu in Nagoya Is a Replica, Not an Architectural Monument
The current tower from 1959 is a reinforced-concrete reconstruction with an elevator inside, built from prewar drawings of the burned original. The city has been discussing replacing it with an exact wooden replica for more than ten years, but the project keeps stalling on one question: how to combine historical accuracy with access for visitors in wheelchairs. In spring 2026, discussions resumed for the first time in three years, and the city proposed a compromise — a small elevator for about six people — but there is still no concrete construction timeline.
A Name Written for Its Sound: 名古屋城
名 — значение: name, title, famous (in compounds) — онъёми: メイ、ミョウ — кунъёми: な、-な — 6 штрих(ов). 名 — "name": the first character in 名古屋, but all three characters here were most likely chosen for their sound rather than their meaning — a common fate of old place names. The same character appears in 名前 (namae, "name") and 有名 (yūmei, "famous").
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 名古屋城 | Nagoya-jō · Nagoya-jō | Nagoya Castle — the full Japanese name |
| 金鯱 | kinshachi · kinshachi | Golden tiger-fish on the ridge of the tenshu roof |
| 天下普請 | tenka-bushin · tenka-bushin | Construction carried out by several daimyo by order of the shogun |
| 本丸御殿 | Honmaru Goten · Honmaru Goten | The palace in the main enclosure of the castle, restored in wood |
| 木造 | mokuzō · mokuzō | Wooden construction — how the current plan for restoring the tenshu envisions it |
Trace 名 along the guides — the first character in a name chosen for its sound.
Where the Name "Nagoya" Came From
名古屋城 is read なごやじょう (Nagoya-jō). A place with a similar sound is mentioned as early as Heian-period documents under the spelling 那古野. The exact meaning of the name "Nagoya" has not been fully established: historians have no consensus, and the characters 名古屋 — "name," "old," "house" — were most likely chosen for their sound rather than their meaning. One version links the original name to land once swept by a great wave (浪越), but this is only one hypothesis, not a proven fact.
Nagoya Castle Today: The Dispute Over Wooden Restoration
- The tenshu itself has been closed to visitors since 2018 — first because it did not meet seismic standards, and later because of preparations for a possible replacement with a wooden replica.
- The golden shachihoko on the roof ridge remain the city's calling card: their silhouette is recognizable even to those who have never been to Nagoya.
- While the fate of the tenshu is undecided, the Honmaru Palace is open to visitors. The paintings in it are copies: the originals were evacuated before the 1945 air raids and survived.
FAQ
- What is Nagoya Castle?
- Nagoya Castle is a fortress and residence of the Owari branch of the Tokugawa clan, built in 1610–1612 by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu. It is known for the golden shachihoko fish on the roof of the tenshu and the Honmaru Palace restored in wood.
- For whom was Nagoya Castle built?
- The castle was built by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu with the labor of twenty western daimyo — a practice called tenka-bushin, "nationwide construction." It became the residence of Ieyasu's nine-year-old son, Tokugawa Yoshinao.
- What happened to Nagoya Castle in 1945?
- The tenshu and the Honmaru Palace burned down in an air raid on Nagoya in May 1945 — only a few corner turrets and gates survived. The concrete tower was rebuilt in 1959, while the palace was reconstructed in wood almost as the original and opened to visitors only in 2018.
- When will Nagoya Castle become wooden?
- There is no exact date: the wooden reconstruction project for the tenshu has been stalled for years by a dispute over an elevator for visitors with limited mobility. In spring 2026, discussions resumed, but no concrete construction timeline has been announced.
- How is Nagoya Castle written in Japanese, and what does the name mean?
- 名古屋城, read なごやじょう (Nagoya-jō). The name "Nagoya" itself appears as early as Heian-period documents under the spelling 那古野, and its exact meaning has not been established — the characters 名古屋 were most likely chosen for their sound rather than their meaning.
Sources
Updated: 2026-09-13