This mountain castle on Mt. Kinka, 329 meters above sea level, has a history dating back to the Kamakura period, when Oda Nobunaga moved his headquarters from Komaki Mountain to Gifu Castle in 1567 and improved it.
Today, the stonewalls of the ruins of the rice warehouse, drum tower, and Ninomaru-mon Gate remain, and on the top of the mountain is a three-story, four-story mock castle tower rebuilt in 1956, and the Gifu Castle Museum.
Inside the mock castle tower is a local museum, and the top floor is an observatory from which visitors can view the Nagara River and the city of Gifu.
(1st floor: Armor Room, 2nd floor: Lord of the Castle Room, 3rd floor: Lord Nobunaga Room, 4th floor: Watchtower Room)
The castle was called Inabayama Castle in the Muromachi period (1336-1573) and was the residence of Saito, a retainer of the Toki clan, the Mino governor. During the Tenbun era (710-794), the castle was rebuilt by Doso Saito and was also called Inokuchi Castle.
The castle was later moved to the castle of Nobunaga Oda in 1567 (Eiroku 10), and its base was moved from Komakiyama Castle in Owari.
Oda Nobunaga’s family and hostages lived at the top of the mountain.
Around this time, Oda Nobunaga began to use the red seal “Tenka Fubu” and began to aim for unification of the country in earnest.
From this point on, the name of the castle on top of the mountain and the town at the foot of the mountain were changed from “Iguchi” to “Gifu” to signify the unification of the country, and the name was changed to “Gifu Castle.
In 1576, Nobunaga moved to Azuchi, followed by Nobutada Nobutaka and Nobutaka, Ikeda Motosuke and Terumasa, Toyotomi Hidekatsu, and Oda Hidenobu, until the castle was abandoned by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1601.
Kinkasan ropeway leads to the summit.
There are many trails leading to the summit from various directions.
Some of the trails lead to the ruins of fortifications and stonewalls.
Kinkasan is famous for its beautiful night views from the top and sides of the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain on the west side is Gifu Park, where the remains of the residence of Lord Nobunaga Oda still remain. The garden “Nobunaga’s Garden” was created in the image of Nobunaga, who laid the foundation for Gifu’s rise to power, and the statue of Nobunaga is located in the park.
March 16 - May 11, 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
May 12 - October 16: 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
October 17 - March 15: 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
No holidays
Adults (16 years and older) 200 yen
Children (4 years old and over, under 16 years old) 100 yen
15 min. by bus from JR Gifu Stn. or Meitetsu Gifu Stn. → 3 min. walk from “Gifu Park History Museum Mae” → 3 min. by ropeway from Kinkasan Ropeway Sanroku Stn. → 8 min. on foot from Kinkasan Ropeway Sancho Stn.