The first thing you notice as you step outside from JR Gifu Station is the Golden Statue of Nobunaga in front of the station. Oda Nobunaga is no longer around but you can find traces of him all around Gifu City. A Portuguese missionary at the time describes Gifu as a “bustling Babylon” rivalling any grand city of the time in Europe. Nobunaga quickly established his lavish palace at the foot of Mount Kinka and a castle town flourished around the castle and mountain. It became the first stepping stone in his grand plan of unification of Japan after centuries of civil war. Gifu City was where he realised his dream and its possibilities. Nobunaga chose to use the newly renamed castle and its mountain (Kinkazan) as his base of operations in his mission to unify and control Japan. The second character (阜) fu means “base of the mountain” and comes from Qufu (曲阜), the birthplace of Confucius. He took the first character (岐) gi from Qishan (岐山), the legendary mountain from which most of ancient China was unified. The name is an interesting one and has a pretty cool meaning. Nobunaga conquered Gifu Castle then known as Inabayama Castle and changed the name of both the castle and town to Gifu (岐阜). Samurai warlord Oda Nobunaga, from nearby Owari (Aichi Prefecture) knew this and set about taking control of the area.
“Control Gifu and you control Japan” was a common phrase used during the Sengoku period. The city has always played an important role in Japan’s history due to its strategic location in the middle or heart of Japan. Gifu City existed long before Nobunaga, but it was called Inokuchi back then. Gifu City in Gifu Prefecture in the heart of Japan and Oda Nobunaga have a strong connection. He is recognised as one of Japan’s greatest rulers. Nobunaga was born in nearby Owari domain (modern day Aichi Prefecture) and soon rose to fame due to his military conquests and victories. He is often called the first great unifier of Japan, as he conquered about a third of the country during his quest of unification before his death. Oda Nobunaga was a powerful samurai warlord in Japan during the Sengoku Jidai (Warring States period) in the late 16th century.