Edo Castle Redevelopment Project Enters 18th Year

When people imagine Japanese castles, they almost always just think about it. Tenshu or Tenshukaku. These structures are used as towers, preserving or various translations of Tang Hong, and are the most memorable parts of Japanese fortifications.

Evolved from defensive turrets, sometimes as living space or storage space, but their main job is to tell everyone that the tower owner is a great owner with a lot of disposable income that many can use. Not surprisingly, these symbols of political, military and cultural power are most closely related to Oda Nobunaga Demon King He himself.

In Japan, there are only 12 original towers, sadly not including the tower of Edo Castle, today is the Imperial Palace. It is said to be the most grand Tenshu of all time, one of the reasons a group has been trying to rebuild it for the past 18 years.

Description of Edo Castle (17th century), unknown by Wikimedia Commons

Resurrection history

In the late 16th century, after the end of Japan’s unification, he entered the Edo Castle by Tokugawa Ieyasu, what he wanted symbolized a new era in the country’s history. Since Osaka Castle is the stronghold of his main rival Toyotomi Hideyoshi, it is adorned with black plaster and golden pricks, Ieyasu chose to build a pure white reservation for himself. The subsequent leaders will rebuild the structure to better reflect their personality.

The third Tokugawa Shogun Iemitsu obviously has personality to be used as his Edo Castle Keep was the largest Tenshu in Japan after it was completed in 1638. Standing at a height of 59 meters, it is about the height of a 20-story building. It also has a copper-plated roof and trim.

Sadly, it was destroyed in the Meireki fire of 1657. There are talks about rebuilding Tenshu, but they are discarded due to the scale of the destruction. The fire killed 20% of the Edo population, so fierce, Prison openedso prisoners won’t burn.

Today there is only one stone foundation in the East Garden of the Palace of Empire. Since 2006, the NPO EDO Castle Tower reconstruction team has been trying to rebuild Tenshu, the 18th generation descendant of Ota Dokan, the original architect and builder of Edo Castle.

Obstacles and opportunities

There is a reason for the reconstruction project to take nearly twenty years to show the reason without the actual tenshu, and it is not because of the lack of attempts. The NPO has proposed a detailed reconstruction plan to the government, which accurately identifies the original location of Iemitsu and aims to restore it based on historical blueprints.

The organization has 200 more Miyadaiku Carpenters specialize in traditional Japanese architecture such as shrines and temples. They will use the original method promised by NPO to get Edo Castle Tenshu back to its original state. They obviously know where to get large diameter domestic hinoki Cypress, original material used for towers. So why have 18 years of holding?

Well, the foundation is a national cultural property, and modern building regulations prohibit the construction of a third floor pure wood structure. It turns out to be difficult to ensure government exceptions to the project, and then, of course, archaeological investigations must be conducted, all of which are conducted on the ground of the Imperial Palace. This doesn’t even mention the cost, and is expected to reach hundreds of billions of yen.

Even if all of this is not a problem, many people might ask: What is the point? As of August 2023, only about 5,100 people signed a petition to support the reconstruction project. Is this really the best time to create a man-made historic castle tower?

If you build it, they’ll come

Tenshu of Osaka Castle was destroyed by a lightning strike in 1665 and was rebuilt only in 1931. Many towers were damaged during World War II, and the towers are located in the heart of Osaka and are now one of the symbols of the city, dating back to 1997. It also dates back to 1997. It also has an internal elevator. Basically a cool modern museum. However, Osaka Castle is the most visited castle in Japan, reporting to attract 2.5 million tourists each year.

So as long as a portion of the original defense stays and has a fascinating history, it seems that the prickly era of the castle won’t really matter. Even if not mentioned The Beheading of the God of Angry Buried in the door.

Supporters of the reconstruction claim that the rearing of the restored Edo Castle Tower could become a new symbol of the capital and would eventually pay for it themselves. Such a new travel destination offers promotions and travel opportunities that cannot be exaggerated. There is also a lot to say about keeping traditional Japanese construction and carpenters alive, which can also help promote. Despite this, progress is still slow.

If you want to donate or volunteer your time, you can contact NPO through NPO Its official website or Facebook.