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Striving to Restore a Phantom Castle

2021年10月26日

On the order of Oda Nobunaga, one of the most famous warlords representing the Warring States Period of Japan, Azuchi Castle was constructed in Shiga Prefecture. However, burned down in a battle only six years after its completion, it is called a “phantom” castle.

Some 450 years after its collapse, Shiga Prefecture is now striving to restore this phantom castle using digital technology.

However, we do not have sufficient information to restore the castle. In this regard, we have embarked on a full-scale search across the sea to discover materials on Azuchi Castle, including a folding screen with the castle painted on it. Unfortunately, the painting has been missing abroad.

【Materials wanted (maps, photographs, etc.)】

The Phantom Azuchi Castle - A Structure That Burned Down in Only 6 Years

Constructed on the order of Oda Nobunaga as his base for unifying Japan, Azuchi Castle took three years for its completion.

It is said that featuring a five-story donjon and a gorgeous palace in the central courtyard, Azuchi Castle embodied the essence of the best of Japanese technology and art of the time.

Back then, Nobunaga had established the castle as his base and was just one step away from unifying Japan.

However, Nobunaga was defeated by his vassal Akechi Mitsuhide. Only six years after its completion, the castle was burned down in a battle.

Together with Nobunaga’s dream of unifying Japan, the phantom castle also disappeared. However, there have been strong calls to restore the castle, leading us to proceed with the project of restoring this phantom castle using digital technologies such as CG, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR).

Mystery Clues to Be Found Abroad?

Since Azuchi Castle was burned down in only six years, it is veiled in considerable mystery, meaning that there are insufficient materials to refer to for restoring the castle.

Of the materials related to Azuchi Castle, Azuchi-Yama zu Byobu is the most notable.

Depicting Azuchi Castle, this folding screen was prepared on the order of Oda Nobunaga. Afterwards, the work was presented to the Pope via the Tensho Embassy, an embassy sent by Japanese Christian warlords to Europe in the late 16th century.

This painting is said to depict the external appearance of the donjon of the castle. However, its location has been unknown since it was last displayed in the Gallery of Maps in the Apostolic Palace.

In addition to this folding screen painting, there may be many other materials related to Azuchi Castle, such as documents, illustrations, and records, in various parts of the world.

With this background, we have embarked on a full-scale search across the sea to discover unknown materials related to Azuchi Castle.

First of all, to gather information, we have established a website available in the six languages (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and English) of countries where the folding screen is highly likely to have been transferred.

URL：https://www.pref.shiga.lg.jp/ippan/bunakasports/bunkazaihogo/321174.html

We intend to ask for cooperation in the search for the folding screen from related organizations in countries where it is highly likely to have been transferred, conduct interviews with experts and those related to research on the folding screen, and analyze the information provided, thus proceeding with the restoration project.

We look forward to receiving information from around the world.