Sunomata Ichiya Castle is associated with a famous legend about Kinoshita Tōkichirō, the future Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who served under Oda Nobunaga. According to tradition, Tōkichirō built the castle in a single night. The story became an important part of Hideyoshi’s rise from humble beginnings to one of Japan’s most powerful leaders.
The castle once stood in Sunomata, now part of Ōgaki City in Gifu Prefecture. Located on the western bank of the Nagara River, Sunomata was an important transportation and military location. The area had been a battleground even before the Warring States period and played a significant strategic role during that turbulent era.
Today, the site is home to the Ōgaki City Sunomata Historical Museum, a castle-style building with four exterior tiers and six floors. Its roof is adorned with golden shachihoko ornaments made from 24-karat gold, reportedly using approximately 27 kilograms of the precious metal.
Inside, exhibits trace the story of the castle’s construction and introduce visitors to the young Toyotomi Hideyoshi. From the observation room, visitors can enjoy sweeping views of the Nagara River, Mount Kinka, Mount Ibuki, the Yōrō Mountains, and the surrounding landscape, which changes beautifully with the seasons.
In 1566, during the Eiroku era, Oda Nobunaga is said to have ordered the construction of a castle at Sunomata as a strategic base for his campaign to conquer Mino Province, which corresponds roughly to present-day Gifu Prefecture.
Kinoshita Tōkichirō, later known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was reportedly entrusted with the task and completed the castle in a single night. This remarkable story became known as the legend of the “One-Night Castle” and was passed down as one of the most famous episodes in Hideyoshi’s rise to power.
Sunomata Castle served as an important military foothold in Nobunaga’s campaign against the Saitō clan, his rivals in Mino Province. Establishing a base at Sunomata helped Nobunaga advance his conquest of the region and contributed to the series of campaigns that eventually paved the way for the unification of Japan.
The castle stood beside a river, making use of the surrounding waterways as a natural defensive advantage. Although the precise layout of the original fortification remains unclear, it is generally thought to have been a relatively simple structure built rapidly, consistent with the traditional account of its construction in a single night.
After Nobunaga consolidated his control over Mino Province, Sunomata Castle lost its strategic purpose and was eventually abandoned. Its historical significance, however, endured. The site was developed into a tourist attraction, and a castle-style reconstruction was created in 1989. The historical museum introduces the story of Sunomata Castle and its place in Japan’s Warring States period.
The historical museum stands on the former castle site and presents materials relating to the castle’s history, the legend of its rapid construction, and the lives and campaigns of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
The exhibits provide an opportunity to explore the castle’s place in the history of the Warring States period while considering the stories that contributed to Hideyoshi’s enduring reputation.
Despite the fame of the One-Night Castle legend, the story remains historically uncertain. Although the construction of a castle at Sunomata would have been a significant event for both Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, contemporary historical sources, including the Shinchō Kōki, a chronicle of Nobunaga’s life, contain little or no clear information confirming the episode.
This lack of documentary evidence has made Sunomata Castle an intriguing subject for historians. Visitors can explore not only the traditional story but also the unanswered questions surrounding the castle’s origins and construction.
The former castle grounds have been developed into a park, with the reconstructed castle serving as its centerpiece. The historical museum introduces the site’s past, while the surrounding grounds offer a pleasant place to walk and appreciate the area’s history and scenery.
The castle remains particularly fascinating because the truth behind the One-Night Castle legend has yet to be definitively established. It offers visitors a chance to encounter both the history and the enduring mysteries of Japan’s Warring States period.
Sunomata Ichiya Castle is also renowned as a cherry blossom viewing destination. Along the banks of the Sai River, approximately 800 cherry trees form a blossom-lined avenue stretching for 3.7 kilometers.
Walking beneath the flowering branches leads visitors toward the castle-style historical museum, where the combination of traditional castle architecture and delicate cherry blossoms creates a memorable seasonal scene.
The cherry trees typically come into bloom around April, attracting large numbers of visitors. During the blossom season, the area is illuminated at night, allowing visitors to enjoy the beautiful sight of the castle framed by illuminated cherry trees.
9:00-17:00
Mondays (or the following day if the Monday is a national holiday)
The day following a national holiday
Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29 through January 3)
General 200 yen
Free for children under 18 years old
20 min. by bus from Meitetsu Shin-Gifu Station → 15 min. on foot from Sumimata bus stop
15 minutes by car from Gifu Hashima Station on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line
15 minutes by car from the Gifu-Hashima IC of the Meishin Expressway
10 minutes by car from Hozumi Station on the Tokaido Honsen Line