Kanazawa Castle

From 1583 to the end of the Edo Period, Kanazawa Castle (金沢城, Kanazawajō) was the seat of the powerful Maeda Clan, lords of Kaga, a feudal domain ranking second only to the Tokugawa possessions in terms of size and rice production.

The castle burnt down a few times throughout its history, and the most recent fires of 1881 were survived by only the castle's Ishikawa-mon Gate. The gate, which dates from 1788, is the main entrance to the park and faces Kenrokuen. For several decades, Kanazawa University occupied the former castle grounds, until the campus was moved to the outskirts of the city in the early 1990s. Since then a project has been underway to slowly rebuild the historic buildings of the former Kanazawa Castle.

The first buildings to be reconstructed were the Hishi Yagura, a turret overlooking the northern approach to the castle; the Hashizume-mon Tsuzuki Yagura, a turret guarding the entrance to the central area of the castle grounds; and Gojukken Nagaya, a long storehouse running between the two turrets. The three buildings were completely rebuilt to their original 1850s appearance using traditional techniques and materials. They were opened to the public in 2001 and contain excellent displays on traditional carpentry and construction methods.

Reconstruction of the castle's former main entrance gate, the Kahoku-mon Gate, was completed in spring 2010. The upper floor of the gate can be entered free of charge and contains some displays about the gate's history and construction.

Currently being reconstructed is the Hashizume-mon Gate adjacent to the Gojukken Nagaya Storehouse. In addition, a small pond garden is currently being restored in the western part of the castle park in the Gyokuseninmaru area. Restoration works for both places are expected to be completed by spring 2015. However, there are currently no plans to rebuild the main castle keep.