Inuyama, Aichi
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Inuyama (犬山市; -shi) is a city located near Nagoya in Aichi, Japan.
The city was founded on April 1, 1954. As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 73,247 and the density of 977.02 persons per km². The total area is 74.97 km².
InuyamaCastle.jpg
There are a number of famous attractions in and around the city. The most famous attraction is Inuyama castle (犬山城 inu-yama-jō) on a 40m rise overlooking the Kiso river. This castle is also known as Hakutei-jo (White Emperor Castle), as named by the Confucian scholar Sorai Ogyu during the Edo period. It is a 4 story structure with two underground levels, although it has only three roofs. The castle was designated as a Japanese national treasure in 1935 and again in 1952. The castle in its current form was built in 1537 by Oda Nobuyasu, grandfather of the great warlord Oda Nobunaga. After construction, the castle had a rapid succession of different owners. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi took control of the area, he put Ishikawa Sadakiyo in charge of the castle. After the defeat of Hideyoshi by Matsudaira Tadayoshi Ogasawara Yoshitsugu received the castle. In 1616 the Naruse family was put in charge of the structure until the Meiji era. After the Meiji Restoration the government seized the castle in 1869. The castle was damaged by the Great Nobi Earthquake in 1891. The castle was then given to the Naruse family under the condition that they repair the castle. This makes the castle the only privately owned castle in Japan. The castle survived all wars and has remained unchanged since it was built, making it the oldest original wooden castle in Japan.
TeaHouseWindowInuYama.jpg
Another famous attraction is the Urakuen tea garden used for tea ceremonies. This garden contains the Joan tea house, built in 1618 by Oda Uraku 1547-1621, younger brother of Oda Nobunaga. Tea master Oda Uraku was a student of the famous tea master Sen no Rikyu. While the Joan tea house was originally built in Kyoto, it was moved to its current location in 1972. The building is considered one of the finest examples of tea house architecture.
The Kiso river also has some very picturesque rapids upstream of the castle. These rapids and the rock formations are called Nihon Rhine after the Rhine river in Germany, and boat tours are available. Cormorant fishing on the Kiso river is also done, although nowadays almost exclusively for tourists.
Near Inuyama is the Meiji Mura open-air architectural museum for preserving and exhibiting Japanese architecture of the Meiji Era (1867-1912). Over 60 historical buildings are preserved on an area of 1,000,000m². The most famous one is the main entrance and lobby of Tokyo's old Imperial Hotel, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1923.
Another former open-air museum near Inuyama is also an amusement park called Little World Museum of Man. This anthropological museum contained a large number of buildings built according to the native style of over 22 countries.
Another amusement park is the Japan Monkey park, with different species of monkeys and other entertainment.
Inuyama is also the site of the Kyoto Regional Primate Institute of Kyoto University, one of the world's foremost centres for research in non-human primate biology and behaviour. The chimpanzee Ai lives here.
External link
- Official website (http://www.inuyama.gr.jp/)