* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Nagashino Castle
長篠城
Nagashino Castle is a historic castle in Chūbu dating from the Founded 1508 (Eishō 5); site of the decisive Battle of Nagashino in 1575, whose lord was Okudaira clan / Suganuma clan.
Overview
Nagashino Castle in Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture, occupies a strategic promontory where the Kanasa River meets the Uryu River — its three sides bounded by water, the sole landward approach sealed by earthworks. Though modest in scale, it achieved immortality as the epicenter of the Battle of Nagashino (1575).
When Takeda Katsuyori's forces of approximately 15,000 besieged the castle, its commander Okudaira Nobumasa held out with only 500 men. The desperate messenger Torii Suemon broke through the siege lines to summon relief, enabling the combined Oda-Tokugawa army (est. 38,000) to confront the Takeda at Shitaragahara.
There, Oda Nobunaga deployed rotating musketeer volleys behind palisades, devastating the Takeda cavalry — a tactical landmark in Asian military history. Nagashino Castle now operates as the Nagashino Castle Ruins History Museum, with detailed displays on the castle, siege, and battle.
Connection to Swords
The relationship between Nagashino Castle and the Japanese sword is crystallized in the Battle of Nagashino–Shitaragahara, a pivotal historical turning point. This battle is renowned as an event symbolizing the transition from the age of the Japanese sword to the age of firearms, and it is remembered as the place where the brilliance of the uchigata and tachi swords wielded by Takeda's cavalry warriors was defeated before Nobunaga's famous volley fire of muskets. The elite cavalry of the Takeda army carried practical combat swords. In the catastrophic defeat at Nagashino, many renowned blades were scattered across the battlefield and subsequently seized and preserved by the Okudaira and Tokugawa clans. Okudaira Nobukatsu became the son-in-law of Tokugawa Ieyasu through marriage to his daughter Kamehime. Following the Battle of Sekigahara, he transferred from Kozuke Obata to Mino Kanō han with a fief of 100,000 koku and also served as the first Kyoto Magistrate. The Okudaira family maintains a tradition of renowned blades granted by Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu as commemoration of the Nagashino siege, and it is recorded that swords existed which were venerated as family treasures, designated as "meritorious swords from the Nagashino campaign." The Shitaragahara History Museum (an affiliated facility of the Nagashino Castle Ruins Historic Preservation Museum) displays both actual weapons and swords and reconstructed pieces used in the battle, providing empirical explanation of the transitional period between Sengoku sword culture and firearms culture. As a place name, Nagashino carries special significance in sword history as a symbol of the great transformation in Japanese weapons history from swords to firearms.
Highlights
- Nagashino Castle Ruins History Museum — detailed displays of the 1575 battle, arms, and siege
- Torii Suemon monument — memorial to the messenger who broke through Takeda lines
- Earthworks and moat ruins — well-preserved Sengoku-era defensive layout
- Shitaragahara History Museum (nearby) — reconstructed palisades, muskets, and sword exhibits
- Kanasa-Uryu river confluence — natural moat terrain that defined the castle's defensive strength
- Okudaira clan heritage sites — landmarks honoring Nobumasa, hero of the 1575 siege
* Opening hours and admission fees are subject to change. Please check the official website before visiting.