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Because the path to unification in sixteenth-century Japan was fraught with battles and intrigues, Nobunaga's castle was built as a true fortification that served both as the seat of his military and civil governments. Unlike earlier fortresses built by the Ashikaga shoguns, Nobunaga situated his castle on a low hill jutting out from the eastern shore of Lake Biwa, well removed from Kyoto and the center of court life. The castle was elevated well above the surrounding countryside by its position on the hill and separated from the residual power of the court and the former military government (bakufu) in Kyoto.
From this hilltop vantage point, Nobunaga was able to monitor all activity along three major roadways-the main highway that brought goods from the Japan Sea, the Tōkaidō from Edo in the east, and the Nakasendō that passed through the Japan Alps. At a time when all regions of the country were not peaceful, this view of the crucial roads gave Nobunaga a valuable early warning system. Nobunaga also created a thriving urban center to support his castle, offering merchants and artisans financial incentives to settle around the castle. He even invited the Jesuits to found a church and a seminary in his castle town. In 1582, Nobunaga was assassinated, and just days later opposing forces completely razed Azuchi. The fact that the castle was never rebuilt reflects upon the issue of power-or its absence. When its source, Nobunaga was killed, the authority that might have rebuilt Auzuchi was utterly destroyed. However, the castle can still be discussed through reconstructions made possible by extant records. Along with archaeological evidence from the site itself, records compiled and edited by Ōta Gyūichi in the Edo period and Tenshu sashizu, a 1766 copy of a 1670 document giving specifications about the keep, have been used to reconstruct the castle.
Sheer size is one attribute of power made manifest at Azuchi. The scale of the project was huge. Nobunaga co-opted nearly all the resources of central Japan, as well as those of far-off provinces on the Japan Sea and in the area of present-day Nagoya. In order to complete the castle quickly, he mandated that work continue both day and night. Some of the stones used for the castle walls were so large that it took as many as five thousand laborers to haul them up the slopes of the hill. The height of the stately castle keep was nearly 50 meters tall, about the same as the Great Buddha Hall at Tōdaiji.
Technical skill and innovation were other hallmarks of power in evidence at Azuchi, both inside the castle and out. For example, the stones for the exterior towering walls were carefully cut and fitted together without mortar by master stonemasons who had previous experience at other mountain top projects, like Enryakuji on Mt. Hiei. At twenty two meters high, the stone base was substantial, representing Nobunaga's formidable force as well as the highest technical standards available at the time. Master builders of the Okabe family then completed the timber-framed buildings that stood on top of the walls, and tile-makers from Nara, under the supervision of a master from Ming China, gilded and glazed tiles using a new technique. The tiles were brilliant blue, with multiple glazes of deep reds and yellows added, and the end tiles of the eaves had gold leaf pressed into the clay. Thus, they were not only technically advanced, but indicative of Nobunaga's high standards of quality and taste.
While five sloping rooftops were visible from the outside of the castle, its interior was divided into six levels, plus a basement. As the castle was intended both as a residence for Nobunaga and a fortification, interior spaces were designed to fulfill a multiplicity of purposes. An array of waiting rooms and audience halls were constructed on the first and second floors, and suites of rooms for Nobunaga, his family, and those who served them on the third and fourth levels. Thus, access to Azuchi was carefully controlled, with public spaces, such as waiting rooms, located on the first floor nearest the entryway and private living spaces further away. At Azuchi, the spatial arrangement was vertical as well as horizontal, with the higher floors having more limited access than those on the lower level.
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