Japan Australia Pages

Showing posts with label Sunomata Castle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sunomata Castle. Show all posts

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Best Cherry Blossom Spots in Gifu

We are lucky here in Gifu to have so many great spots for viewing the beautiful cherry blossoms. This year they are expected to start blooming close to their average schedule with the estimated start date of around March 25 in Gifu. The peak is estimated for around April 3-10.

A popular past-time during the sakura or cherry blossom season in Japan is “hanami”. Hanami (花見) literally means “flower viewing” and cherry blossom viewing is a traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the beautiful cherry blossoms.

Below are some of my favourite spots for cherry blossom viewing in Gifu.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Cherry Blossoms at Sunomata Castle

Sunomata Castle, also known as Ichiya-jo is a Japanese castle located in Ogaki in Gifu Prefecture. The castle is a replica of the famous original, which according to legend is said to have been built in one night. “Ichiya” literally means “one night” and hence the name “One Night Castle”. The original was constructed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the generals of the famous warlord Oda Nobunaga during the build-up to the siege of Gifu Castle in 1566.

Main Bridge to Sunomata Castle

The successful construction of the castle lead to Nobunaga defeating the garrisons within Gifu and becoming the lord of the Mino Domain.

The present construction of Sunomata Castle is nothing like the original built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, which consisted of a wooden walled fortress with lookout towers. The current castle tower is a reconstruction and serves as a local history museum, highlighting the history of the castle, and conflict between Nobunaga and the Saito Clan.

Sunomata Castle

Sunomata Castle is situated on the banks of the Sai River and Nagara River, and is one of the best spots in Gifu for hanami or cherry blossom viewing. The area has around 1000 cherry trees with the area around the castle illuminated at night making it very spectacular. The cherry blossoms are best from late March to early April.

Sunomata Sakura Matsuri
Sunomata Sakura
Sunomata Cherry Blossom Road
The Beautiful Cherry Blossoms
Food Vendors Under the Cherry Blossoms
Sakura and Festival Food
Information


Share This via Social Media

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...