The castle on Mount Inabayama was conquered in the 16th century by the warlord Oda Nobunaga, who decide to make it his residence and changed the castle’s name in Gifu, a name that was signifying his desire to unify Japan.

The first character, “gi” 岐, comes from Qishan (岐山), a legendary mountain from which the ancient China was unified and the site of the first capital of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The second character, “fu” 阜, meaning “base of mountain", was also used in Qufu (曲阜), the birthplace of Confucius…

Gifu Castle, Gifu

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Kyoto Station