Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a samurai leader who unified Japan in the second half of the 16th century, set about the attack on Odawara-jo Castle. This castle was the headquarters of the Hojo clan, who ruled over the entire Kanto region at that time, and was widely known as an impregnable fortress. Toyotomi Hideyoshi commenced new castle construction on a hill, 250 meters high, from the top of which Odawara-jo Castle and its surroundings were able to commanded as shown in the first photo. The castle was completed in 1590 by 40,000 workers only in 80 days. This story is hard to believe, but several powerful daimyo feudal lords and a noted master of the tea ceremony visited the construction site and they left documents about the details of the castle construction work. The construction work was done behind the thicket of tall trees and they cut all these trees as soon as the castle was completed. The Hojo clan was very much surprised as the big castle on the hilltop suddenly appeared in front of them. They surrendered Odawara-jo Castle to Toyotomi Hideyoshi immediately without resistance because they lost their fighting spirit. Since then, the castle on the hilltop has become to be called Ichiya-jo, meaning a castle built just in one night. The castle was a full-scale one surrounded by high stone walls though, the stone walls were largely destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. The second photo shows a part of destroyed stone walls.
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