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Destinations... Japan Travel Guide The Yamasa Institute |
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Destinations... Japan Travel Guide The Yamasa Institute |
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Edited by: Declan Murphy Recommended: Suggested Itineraries Favorite Gifu moments... Best ways to get there Gifu Photogallery Newsgroups: fj.rec.travel.japan, Alt-FAQ Bulletin Boards: Fun/Clubs/Nightlife  Accommodation/Discounts
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Oda Nobunaga's connection to Gifu City began with the arranged marriage, when he was 16, to the daughter of the Saito Dosan, the daimyo of what was then known as Mino province, now a part of Gifu prefecture. The marriage was a political one, bringing peace between Saito Dosan and Oda Nobuhide, Nobunaga's father. Ironically, Oda Nobunaga conquered Mino province in 1567 by defeating Saito Yoshitatsu, Saito Dosan's son who had forcefully taken possession in 1556 by his killing his father.
After renaming the city, Oda Nobunaga rebuilt Gifu, heavily damaged by the struggle, within two years in a manner that impressed western visitors such as the Spanish padres at the time. He also liberalized trade and opened many markets to newcomers, actions which made the local economy flourish. As his empire grew, he eventually moved on to build a base in Azuchi, on the shores of Lake Biwa, to be closer to Kyoto, Japan's imperial capital at that time. The site of Oda Nobunaga's residence is preserved in Gifu Park, marked by a statue of Oda Nobunaga in his youth at its entrance and the Kaburagi gate.
Gifu City, with a population of over 400,000, is located almost in the center of Japan, about 30 kilometers north of Nagoya and 250 kilometers west of Tokyo. The city is situated in the northern part of the fertile Nobi plain that was created by the Nagara, Kiso and Ibi rivers. About 60% of the land of Gifu City is level ground less than 60 meters above sea level. Mount Kinka is located next to the Nagara river, and is 329 meters above sea level. Gifu City has comparatively little in traditional architecture because of a severe earthquake in 1891 and heavy bombing during the Second World War. The main tourist information office, open daily between 09:00 and 19:00 (tel 0582-62-4415) is inside the JR Gifu Station, beside the ticket gate at the Nagara-guchi exit.
The city's most prominent building, Gifu Castle, had actually disappeared from existence for over 350 years before being rebuilt in 1954. Sitting upon the top of the 329 meter high Mount Kinka, the first castle, then called Inabayama Castle, is believed to have been built way back in 1201. The castle was reportedly rebuilt in 1509 and changed hands a few times in the 1500's, including to Saito Dosan and Saito Yoshitatsu, before Oda Nobunaga passed the castle on to his sons when he moved on to Azuchi. When one of those sons, Oda Hidenobu, was defeated and the castle was captured by forces on the side of Tokugawa Ieyasu in the struggle for the shogun title that culminated in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, the castle was burned to the ground and prohibited from reconstruction.
The three level/four floored white-walled castle today is not as impressive as the panoramic view that can be had from the structure, the mountain, and the ropeway ride up to the top. It is also possible to hike up a two kilometer trail to the mountain top to visit the castle and the surrounding Gifu Park. Opposite the park is Shobo-ji, a temple housing an imposing 13.7 meter-tall sculpture of the Buddha made of lacquered bamboo, the largest such state in Japan.
The castle has reportedly undergone a recent major rennovation, especially to replace roof tiles damaged in a typhoon a few years ago. During the rennovation, 1,100 volunteers helped carry the new roof tiles up the Mount Kinka trail to get a taste of what the original laborers did, as well as the chance to write their names and a little message on the tiles they carried.
Gifu Castle and the ropeway to it is open daily between 09:00 and 17:00. Admission is 200 yen for the castle. The ropeway costs 600 yen one way, 1,050 yen round-trip.
Despite the castle and its lofty perch, Gifu city's most popular attraction is ukai, a thousand year-old fishing practice that uses trained cormorant birds. Between mid-May and mid-October, tourists take night-time boat rides down the Nagara River to watch as fishermen first place torches on the boat prows to attract the fish, then use one of their trained cormorants, of which they have up to a dozen, to catch it. Each cormorant is on a leash tied to a ring around its neck to prevent it from swallowing the fish. When a fish is caught, the fisherman pulls in the birds to recover their catch and then sends them diving back for more. For more information about Ukai see the Inuyama Ukai file.
Reservations to ride aboard a cormorant fishing boat should be made by calling the booking office (tel: 0582-62-0140) beside Nagara-bashi (bridge). The cruise lasts for 30 minutes and costs 3,300 yen. It is also possible to watch for free by the riverside or, if the water is low, it is possible to get closer by walking out across the rocky river bed. To get there, take the #11 bus from either JR or Meitetsu stations for a 200 yen ride.
Gifu is also known for its paper crafts, especially chochin (lanterns), ougi (fans) and kasa (umbrellas). Around one kilometer south of Gifu park is Ozeki Shoten, a company which produces traditional paper lanterns. The workshops are closed to the public, but in the shop (Mon-Sat 9am-5pm) a display outlining the building process is available in the shop, as well as finished products that sell around 20,000 yen with a stand.
Address: 1-18 Kobuma-cho. Take the tram from Gifu Station and get off at the Daigaku-byou-in stop which is at the junction of the road leading to the tunnel. From there, it's a short walk east down the main road to the factory.
Sakaiden Honten is a parasol or paper umbrella company. There, the assistants can show a range of the colourful parasols which start at ¥3000 and rise to ¥100,000 for the giant red parasols often seen outside the most traditional of ryokan.
Address: 27 Kano-Naka Hiroe. Open Monday to Saturday, 07:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00. The shop is less than ten minutes on foot southeast of the JR Gifu station, but tricky to locate. Assistants at the Gifu tourist information in the JR Gifu Station provide directions.
Tours - The Japan Discovery Tours visits Gifu City
Click here for more information regarding when Discovery visits this destination.
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Disclaimer and Request:
Opening hours, prices, booking procedures, schedules etc are subject to changes beyond our control. This site is just a guide, and we advise that you always check and confirm in advance. Suggestions, additions and correction of errors are always welcome. Please contact us.
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