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Kanazawa

Kanazawa Castle Park

  • Address
    • 1-1 Marunouchi
  • Price
    • grounds/Bldg free/¥300
  • Hours
    • grounds 5am-6pm Mar-15 Oct, 6am-4.30pm 16 Oct-Feb, castle 9am-4.30pm

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Lonely Planet review for Kanazawa Castle Park

Originally built in 1580, Kanazawa-jō housed the Maeda clan for 14 generations; this massive structure was called the castle of 1000 tatami. That castle was destroyed by fire, but some reconstruction has taken place inside its moated walls, now rechristened Kanazawa Castle Park (Kanazawa-jō Kōen). The elegant gate Ishikawa-mon (石川門), rebuilt in 1788, provides a dramatic entry from Kenroku-en; holes in its turret were designed for ishi-otoshi (hurling rocks at invaders). Two additional buildings, the Hishi-yagura (菱櫓; diamond-shaped turret) and Gojikken-Nagaya (五十間長屋; armoury), were reconstructed in 2001, offering a glimpse of the castle's unique wood-frame construction.