360° Virtual Tour — Main Enclosure

Walk Azuchi Castle’s Main Enclosure in 360° | Kuroganemon Gate to the Keep Base

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Copyright for these 360° images belongs to the photographer. Please do not reproduce or reuse them without permission.

From the Kuroganemon Gate ruins to the entrance of Oda Nobunaga’s mausoleum, the Honmaru ruins, and the Tenshudai, this 360° tour traces the core of Azuchi Castle across 13 panoramic photos. Drag your screen (or swipe) to explore the entrance to Oda Nobunaga’s mausoleum, the Honmaru (main enclosure) where 119 foundation stones still stand in neat rows, and the view from the Tenshudai — the stone base where the castle’s legendary “phantom tenshu” once stood.

Photographed2024–2025

Panoramas13

HighlightsTenshudai Views, Nobunaga’s Mausoleum Entrance

Related GuideMain Enclosure Area Guide

✓ Shot on-site: these 360° panoramas were photographed on-site between 2024 and 2025.

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Index

Kuroganemon Gate to Nobunaga’s Mausoleum
Honmaru to Tenshudai
Tenshudai Ruins
More 360° Panorama Pages
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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Kuroganemon Gate to Nobunaga’s Mausoleum

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360° Panorama 1/13 The Kuroganemon Gate ruins mark a key checkpoint guarding the approach to the Ninomaru, Honmaru, and Tenshu. Gold-leafed roof tiles bearing chrysanthemum and paulownia crests turned up among the burnt tile fragments here, hinting at how grand the original gate must have looked.

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360° Panorama 2/13 Just past the Kuroganemon Gate ruins, the entrance to a memorial for four generations of lords of the Yamato-Uda domain, descendants of Oda Nobukatsu, is visible on the left.

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360° Panorama 3/13 Across the path stands the Butsusokuseki, a stone carved with the Buddha’s footprint. If even an object of religious devotion like this was pressed into service as building material, it says something about just how massive the castle’s construction project must have been.

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360° Panorama 4/13 The entrance to Nobunaga’s mausoleum. The year after the Honno-ji Incident, Toyotomi Hideyoshi enshrined Nobunaga’s personal effects here as a memorial. The narrow trail on the left leads to the mausoleum, in the area known as the Ninomaru ruins.

Honmaru to Tenshudai

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360° Panorama 5/13 Passing between the stone walls opens onto the Honmaru ruins, long known as “Senjojiki” (“Thousand-Mat Hall”). Turn left and the Tenshudai’s stone walls rise up close; turn the other way and rows of foundation stones that once supported a palace building come into view. Look around and imagine what kind of structure could have filled all this space.

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360° Panorama 6/13 On the left, the stone walls of the Tenshudai rise above the Honmaru ruins — the massive foundation that once supported Azuchi Castle’s tenshu (main keep). Beyond this imposing wall of huge stones, you can also make out the foundation stones that once supported a palace building.

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360° Panorama 7/13 A full view of the Honmaru ruins, or “Senjojiki.” With 119 foundation stones laid out in a grid alongside the Tenshudai’s stone walls, this vantage point gives a real sense of just how expansive the site is.

Tenshudai Ruins

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360° Panorama 8/13 The final flight of stone steps from the Honmaru ruins up to the Tenshudai. As you climb, the elevation gap from the Honmaru grows more pronounced, and the entrance to the anagura — the underground chamber beneath where the tenshu once stood — comes into view.

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360° Panorama 9/13 With each step up, the Tenshudai’s stone walls grow taller, and the entrance to the anagura chamber draws nearer.

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360° Panorama 10/13 At the top of the final flight of steps, with the elevation gap from the Honmaru ruins fully apparent, just before reaching the summit of the Tenshudai.

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360° Panorama 11/13 The 360° view from the top of the Tenshudai. Standing on the Tenshudai, take in today’s view all the way around. What Nobunaga would have seen from the upper floors of the tenshu itself stood higher and wider still — picture the inland lakes that once ringed the mountain in his day.

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360° Panorama 12/13 With the Tenshudai at your back, looking out toward Nobunaga’s mausoleum. Turn to take in how closely the tenshu, the Honmaru ruins, and the Ninomaru ruins sat together at the heart of the castle.

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360° Panorama 13/13 Looking back at the Tenshudai from higher ground within the Azuchi Castle ruins. Taking in the stone walls and enclosures gathered on the mountaintop gives a sense of just how ambitious a castle Nobunaga set out to build here.

More 360° Panorama Pages

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

On a computer, click and drag with your mouse to look around. On a smartphone or tablet, swipe with your finger. These images can take a moment to load, so a strong connection makes for a smoother experience.

The photos show the view as it looked when they were taken, but foliage and weather can change what you actually see. Lake Biwa once spread out directly below this spot; land reclamation has since turned the area into the farmland and Nishinoko wetland you see today. If you picture the inland lakes that used to ring the mountain layered over that farmland, you can start to imagine what Nobunaga would have seen from the tenshu’s upper floors. The photos make the ground look flat, but the final flight of stone steps up to the Tenshudai is actually quite steep.

It’s featured in the “Kuroganemon Gate to Nobunaga’s Mausoleum” section on this page (the 4th photo). It was shot near the entrance to the narrow path on the left, so you can clearly see how the location fits into the wider site.

These photos were taken between 2024 and 2025. A major archaeological survey is currently underway around the Tenshudai (running roughly June through December 2026), so the excavation areas and the site itself may look different from what you see in these photos. Think of this as a snapshot from partway through an ongoing dig, with new discoveries still being made.

Back to the Azuchi Castle Guide

Azuchi Castle Ruins Visitor Guide 2026 | Access, Routes and What to See

Plan your visit to Azuchi Castle Ruins with current admission, opening hours, access, maps, suggested routes, and area guides based on repeated on-site visits.

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The information on this site is current as of August 2026. Copyright for the 360° images belongs to the photographer; please do not reproduce or reuse them without permission. For the latest opening hours and admission fees, please check the official Soken-ji Temple website.

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