Ieyasu at Atsuta

Young Tokugawa Ieyasu (was known as Takechiyo) spent a couple of years at Atsuta as a hostage of the Oda.  The landmark is just south of Atsuta Shrine and I highly recommend that one should visit the both the shrine and the landmark (Located in the heart of the city of Nagoya).

http://nagoyatabi.ncvb.or.jp/en/kankouroute/route08/index.html

Jeroen Lamers Japonius Tyrannus has some words on this as well.  Lamers (p. 46)

"The four-year old was captured by a party of the Toda family en route to Sunpu, who delivered Takechiyo not to Imagawa Yoshimoto in Suruga, but  to Oda Nobuhide in Owari.  Takechiyo spent the next two years at Atsuta in Owari as a hostage of the Oda family."

Tenka no tame!

Random News II

There is more news on the archaeological work being done at Gifu Castle Park.  Here is the Japanese link with photos: http://www.nobunaga-kyokan.jp/blog/archives/2013/08/post_122.html

Nobunaga no tame!

Azuchi Video

There is a decent video on Azuchi Castle, the house that Nobunaga built, and it is in Japanese
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSb46oOCoo4

The video has an excellent reproduction and explanation of all the castle floors.  There is a lot of maps and diagrams of the castle as well.  Azuchi Castle historian Naito Akira, who wrote the book Fukugen Azuchijo, makes an appearance and gives some details on the castle.  The video also show some tile, the stone walls, and nails that were used.  I highly recommend a trip to the Azuchi Castle ruins since you will get a feeling on what the castle might have been.  Also there is a movie on the construction of Azuchi Castle called Katen no Shiro starring Nishida Toshiyuki.

Tenka no tame!