Nagoya Castle by PartyRambo
Construction on the castle was completed in 1612, on the orders of Ieyasu Tokugawa, for protection against invaders from Osaka, and as an important location on the Tokaido highway.One of the Tokugawa families lived there for about 250 years.
Air raids in May 1945 destoyed most of the buildings.
Fortunately, 3 corner towers & gates, and most of the fancy sliding door paintings in the Hommaru Palace building survived.
On top of the peak are the best-known features of this castle - the Golden Dolphons (kinshachi).
it is said that the 1st dolphins (shachi) appeared in the Muromachi Ear (1334-1400) as a symbol of a feudal lord's authority.
The original dolphins were destroyed by the air raid, but rebuilding was completed in 1959.
A few statistics on the current dolphins:
-1 male, 1 female
-Each about 9 feet long
-Each about 2,650 lbs
-Each has about 95 lbs of 18k gold (worth roughly $500,000 USD at current market value).
