Kanazawa Castle Audio Guide

Kanazawa Castle: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Kanazawa Castle

   Welcome to Kanazawa Castle, known in Japanese as Kanazawa-jō, written 金沢城. You are standing in a large, partially restored castle in Kanazawa, in Ishikawa Prefecture, on the western side of Japan's main island. It sits right beside the celebrated Kenroku-en Garden, which once served as the castle's private outer garden. Two places that today feel like neighbors were once part of one lordly estate. For centuries this was the headquarters of the Kaga Domain, ruled by the powerful Maeda family. Over the next few minutes we will dig into three stories: what stood on this hill before the Maeda arrived, how the castle was built, burned and rebuilt, and why Kanazawa became a city of gold leaf, lacquer and the tea ceremony instead of a city of war. A practical pointer as you begin: the Kanazawa Loop Bus stops in front of the Ishikawa Gate, only a few meters from the entrance to Kenroku-en. From Kanazawa Station it is about 20 minutes by bus, or about 10 minutes by taxi. Take your time. The ground under your feet has a deep past.

2. 02

   The Peasants' Kingdom Beneath Kanazawa Castle

   Before the Maeda family ever set foot here, this hill belonged to a very different kind of power. In the late Muromachi period, the Ikkō-ikki, followers of the priest Rennyo and the Jōdo Shinshū school of Buddhism, drove out the Togashi clan, who were the official governors of Kaga Province. In their place they set up a kind of theocratic republic, later remembered as the Peasants' Kingdom. Their principal stronghold was a fortified temple complex called the Kanazawa Gobō, built on the tip of the Kodatsuno Ridge. Their government was based at a temple complex in the mid-sixteenth century, on ground that is now part of Kanazawa Castle. The group was no small band of monks. It included priests, townspeople and farmers, who held this land free from samurai rule and made Kanazawa the center of Japan's only Buddhist fiefdom. So when you look at the castle grounds, picture a temple fortress first. Kanazawa Castle began as a hilltop of devotion and rebellion before it became the seat of a great lord.

3. 03

   Fourteen Generations of the Maeda at Kanazawa Castle

   The Maeda family began construction of the castle in 1583. From then until 1869, the family lived here for 14 generations. Their domain, Kaga, was a feudal territory ranking second only to the Tokugawa possessions in size and wealth. That made the Maeda one of the most powerful lords in the land. The castle's life was far from calm. Over the centuries, fire destroyed it many times, which is why so little of the original castle remains. Most of the buildings you see today are reconstructions, based on how the castle looked in the 1850s. After the Meiji Restoration, the story took a modern turn. During the Meiji period the castle became the headquarters of the Japanese army, and later a university used the grounds. In 2008 the castle was designated a National Historic Site. Today the work of reconstruction continues, and the castle is slowly regaining the shape it once had.

4. 04

   Survivors and Golden Culture at Kanazawa Castle

   Now let us look for the survivors. The Ishikawa Gate, built in 1788, is one of the structures that came through the fires. The Sanjukken Nagaya, a long warehouse building, and the Tsurumaru Storehouse also survive. All three are designated Important Cultural Properties. When you stand before the Ishikawa Gate, you are looking at craftsmanship that was already old when the nineteenth century began. Then think about what the Maeda did with their wealth. Instead of pouring it into military pursuits, they channeled it into arts and crafts. This became known as the Million-koku Culture. Historians note that it also helped ease the suspicions the shogunate held about the domain's wealth, since the Maeda were Outer Lords, known as Tozama daimyō. That culture still shapes Kanazawa. Kaga-yuzen fabric dyeing, gold leaf, Kutani porcelain, maki-e lacquerware, Noh theatre and the tea ceremony all grew into essential parts of samurai life here. Legend even says the city's name, meaning marsh of gold, comes from a man who washed gold dust from freshly dug potatoes into a well.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   As you wander on, remember that this hill has carried a temple fortress, a great lord's castle, an army headquarters and a university campus. Each era left its mark, and some of those marks are easier to spot than others. A few things are worth looking for as you go. Compare the reconstructed buildings with the surviving gate and storehouses, and see if you can feel the difference between rebuilt and original. Notice, too, how close Kenroku-en Garden lies, the former private outer garden of the castle, just across from the Ishikawa Gate. Kanazawa was also spared destruction by air raids during the Second World War, which is part of why so much of its heritage still stands. If you have time, let that curiosity carry you out into the city, where the same culture of gold leaf, crafts and refined taste is still alive.