Kakegawa area was an important transport hub of the Tokai Region, present time Shizuoka, Aichi Mie and Gifu Prefectures. Hence, many local feudal lords fought against each other for this important area in the 15th-16th century. In the second half of the 16th century, when Japan was considerably unified, Yamanouchi Kazutoyo was assigned to the ruler of this area. He built a full-scale castle here, which is the origin of the present time Kakogawa Castle. After that, it came to be highly reputed as one of the best castles in the region though, a big quake destroyed the castle tower in the 18th century. And some other surviving buildings were dismantled at the beginning of the Meiji Period. After many years since then, Japan’s first wooden reconstructed castle tower was rebuilt in 1994. This is the faithful building to the original down to the smallest detail. The faithful reconstruction work of the Otemon main gate was followed the next year and they were jointly designated as important cultural properties together with other buildings.
In this connection, Yamanouchi Kazutoyo was ordered to be the daimyo feudal lord of Kochi thanks to his wife's help in 1601, where he built the present time Kochi Castle. This castle is said to have been model after Kakogawa Castle. In fact, the points of similarity are remarkable.
Jason Hardy
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