In terms of Japanese castle ruins, this place is huge. However, despite the historical background to this place, there really isn’t left to see except those stone foundations.
Even just walking up the steps, you can somehow sense the grandiose castle complex Nobunaga planned and built. It’s a nice place to visit if you are into the Sengoku period history.
Personally, not to be missed if you’re visiting Shiga; seemingly nondescript as you enter, the ruins and views reveal themselves as you ascend, sensing the past grandeur of the ruins, and the history it holds. Be sure to follow the arrows first to the main castle ruins, then descend past the temple for a complete loop, rather than retrace your way down the way you came up.
I came to the Azuchi Castle ruins after coming over from the Nobonaga no Yukata museum in Azuchi Town.
As others have mentioned, the price is very expensive, it's 700 YEN for entry, and there's very little to actually do that, except go for a very demanding and challenging hike.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there due to how quaint and peaceful it was. I went there at 11am on a Tuesday morning, and apart from myself, there was 4 other individual Japanese visitors, and a separate Japanese tour group. I was literally the only foreigner there. That said, this is a great place to visit for history buffs as the ruins of the castle is still in traverse-able, and you can really soak in and appreciate the amount of effort it took for people to build this castle a few hundred years ago.
Also, I highly recommend visiting the Nobunaga Museum, even though it's small. There was a small VR screening which really helped me visualize what each part of the castle should have been.
Totally neglected by tourists and even Japanese visitors (benchmarked by uniformed school kids), the ruin is almost remote by Japanese standard, surrounded by rice paddies, in the desolate tiny town of the same name. Once the power center of this country, the castle was erected in astonishing speed and grace and grandeur, and razed to the ground in equally rapid fashion. Like its owner, the ruin is largely a forgotten place except a passing mention in history books, despite its actual significance in many ways, including being the first castle with an elaborately elevated main keep that inspired all following constructions of grand castles.
Nothing really prepares one for the hike to the castle ground. It is simply a difficult and humbling climbing of these difficult stone steps that would've trembled the knees of visiting lords at the time. It is also intriguing to see the site of hashiba hideyoshi's residence, at the bottom of the hill, signifying his relative low status in Oda's ranks, making his future rise to power even more amusing.
After the painful hike one would arrive at the castle ground to find a postmortem memorial for Oda Nobunaga himself. Compared to his retainer toyotomi and subordinate daimyo Tokugawa, it is an ironic and also all-too-common reminder of the man who almost unified Japan.
Having seen castles like Himeiji and Osaka, I could imagine how majestic and formidable this castle once was yet how easily it collapsed once the owner sacked.
The ruin is hard to reach by foot from Azuchi train station where even taxis are rare to be found. Renting a bike is the best way, taking less than 15min to ride there, through the serene rice paddies.
There was less than 20 visitors at the entire site in the morning when we visited, contrasting with the tens and hundreds of thousands at Osaka castle and nijo castle among others. The park facilities are basic and borderlining ran-down, and the chaya at entrance is more like shed from a poor provincial village in 1593.
More the reason why true fans of history should pay homage to this corner of the world.
I’m usually not a fan of castle ruins because it’s usually just a mound of dirt and marker. But Azuchi castle was so grand even the ruins are incredible. The hike up the stone stairs is moderately difficult so pace yourself. Entry is 700 yen and the two goshuen are 600. The view from the top is spectacular.
More about Azuchi Castle Ruins, Omihachiman from our blog
