Nagoya Castle

I visited Nagoya Castle in 2017 and was able to tour the castle at that time. Now the castle is closed due to earthquake resistance concerns. I will do a separate post about the beautiful Hommaru Palace restoration. The construction was not complete when I visited in 2017.

This is the history of the castle from the jcastle website - 

In 1610 Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered the construction of Nagoya-jo to solidify the Tokugawa authority in Owari (Nagoya and vicinity). The castle was completed in 1612 and Tokugawa's ninth son Yoshinao entered the castle in 1616 from which he governed over Owari. Nagoya-jo is famous for the 2 golden shachihoko that adorn the top of its main keep. That is why it is also known as "Kinshachi-jo." Kin means "gold" and shachi refers to the killer whale type mythical creatures that sit atop the main keep and other castle structures.

The entry fee is 500 yen and the castle area is open from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm. There is a lot of English signage.

It was a hot day, so there weren’t many people there the day I was there.

I will do another post about the restored Hommaru Palace.

Friday Finish - Fashionable Ladies Hanging

I finished stitching the ladies a long time ago, but didn’t know how I wanted to finish the project.  I backed the ladies with pandas and added a sleeve to hang it. Now it is hanging where I can see and enjoy all of the Fashionable Ladies.

Nagoya City Archives and My New Friend

This building is the Nagoya City Archives and Museum. I didn’t go inside, but I thought it was interesting, so I took a few pictures. It was built in 1922 and served as Nagoya’s high court until 1979. From 1989 the building has been the City Archives and Museum. The building has been designated as a national important cultural property and has been used for movies and dramas.

Before entering the Nagoya Castle grounds, I sat down on a bench in a little park area to eat the lunch I brought with me. I was the only person there and there were other empty benches. This man came up and asked if he could share my bench. At first, I thought it was odd, but I said, of course. He was so interesting and his English was great! He asked me the usual foreigner questions and told me he was retired from the textile division of Toyota. He pulled out photo albums and showed me pictures of people and places all over the world he had been to with his job. Now that he is retired, his hobby is to meet foreigners in Nagoya and talk with them. You never know who you will meet along the way.

Work in Progress Wednesday

I finished stitching this pulled thread sampler in 2013. Now I’m trying to finish it off as a wall hanging with kimono fabric. I will try to even out the bottom part.

Beaded Ball - finished

Blackwork progress

Cultural Path Futaba Museum - Nagoya

This museum wasn’t on my original plan, but I noticed the interesting building as I was walking toward Nagoya Castle, and decided to stop. I was the only person visiting at the time. Admission is only 200 yen and the museum is open 10 am - 5 pm. 

The Futaba Museum website has a lot of great information about the residents and the residence. This is the former home of Sadayakko Kawakami (1871-1946), who made her name as Japan’s first actress, and Momosuke Fukuzawa (1868-1938), who was once known as the king of electric power.

Can you imagine the couple coming down this staircase?