Komakiyama Castle

小牧山城

Oda Nobunaga's first castle built on a strategic hill in Komaki, Aichi, in 1563. Later the site of the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute between Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Excavations have revealed elaborate stone-paved pathways.

Japanese Name	小牧山城
Prefecture	Aichi Prefecture (愛知県)
Region	Chubu (中部)
Castle Type	Hill Castle
Year Built	1563
Designation	100名城
Coordinates	35.2944, 136.9189

Komakiyama Castle represents the strategic ambitions of Oda Nobunaga, one of Japan's most influential military leaders, who selected its hilltop location in Komaki, Aichi Prefecture for his first castle construction in 1563. This hill fortress served as a crucial base during the critical period of Japan's unification and remains recognized as one of the nation's hundred most important castles.

The castle's historical significance extends beyond its founder to encompass the 1584 Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, a major conflict between Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu that determined the balance of power in late feudal Japan. This battle represented a crucial moment in the transition toward the Tokugawa shogunate's eventual establishment and dominance over Japan.

Excavations conducted at the site have revealed distinctive stone-paved pathways and other architectural elements that provide insight into the castle's sophisticated design and construction methods. The ruins demonstrate how Nobunaga incorporated advanced defensive principles and aesthetic considerations into his fortress architecture, reflecting his military innovation and cultural sophistication.

The elevated hilltop position afforded commanding views of surrounding territories and natural defensive advantages that complemented the castle's constructed fortifications. Today, visitors can explore the archaeological remains and understand how geographic strategy and human engineering combined to create one of Nobunaga's most important strongholds during Japan's transformation.

Komakiyama Castle is recognized as one of Japan's top 100 castles as designated by the Japan Castle Foundation, a distinction that highlights its historical and architectural importance among the hundreds of castle sites across the country. Its design reflects the defensive priorities and construction techniques of the feudal period, with origins dating to 1563. Visitors traveling to Aichi Prefecture can explore the site alongside other regional historical attractions.

On the Ground

Address	Komaki, Aichi Prefecture, 485-0013, Japan
Car parking	57 car parks within 1.5 km — nearest about 371 m away
Public toilets	2 public toilets within 1.5 km — nearest about 1063 m away

Car parks and toilets are counted from OpenStreetMap within 1.5 km of the castle coordinates, as recorded on 2026-08-15. They are not necessarily run by the castle, and OpenStreetMap does not record every facility — “none recorded” does not mean there are none.

Castle Hopping from Here

Castle	Distance
Inuyama Castle 犬山城	10.2 km
Kiyosu Castle 清洲城	11.5 km
Nagoya Castle 名古屋城	12.3 km
Gifu Castle 岐阜城	20.8 km

Distances are straight-line between castle coordinates, not travel distance. Only castles within 30 km are listed.

Is It Original?

Original keep still standing?	No — this castle is not among the twelve in Japan whose keep survives from the pre-modern period. Any tower here is a later reconstruction or the site is a ruin.
Classification on this site	Historic Ruins
Nationally designated properties recorded here	— (none found in the database) — please check with the castle directly

The count of twelve surviving keeps is stated independently by the official sites of Matsue, Maruoka, Matsuyama and Bitchu Matsuyama (checked 2026-09-04). Each of the twelve carries its own source on its own page. The classification line below it is this site's own grouping, not an official designation. The designated properties below it come from the Agency for Cultural Affairs national database of designated cultural properties (国指定文化財等データベース), retrieved 2026-08-13. A missing line means no entry was found in that database — not that the property is undesignated.

Getting There

Nearest station	Komaki Station (小牧駅) — 1.0 km in a straight line
Daily passengers at that station (2019)	11,278

Station distances are straight-line, measured from the castle coordinates. Passenger counts: National Land Numerical Information (MLIT), FY2019.

Location

Sources and What a Blank Means

Data on this page comes from OpenStreetMap, Wikimedia Commons, the Agency for Cultural Affairs national database of designated cultural properties and the National Land Numerical Information service (MLIT). Checked 2026-08-22.

A blank or missing line means we found no record in those sources — not that the castle lacks the thing. Admission fees, opening hours and access change without notice; please confirm with the official site before travelling.