Yoshida Castle
A Picture of Beauty for War and Peace
The first fortifications at what is now Yoshida Castle in Toyohashi City, central Aichi Prefecture, were constructed by the warlord Imaga clan allied Makino Kohaku (?-1506) in 1505 on the southern bank of the Toyokawa River and its tributary, the Asakura River. The site was a strategically important river crossing point along the equally important Tokaido highway route. At that time it was known as Imahashi Castle and was designed to protect the eastern Mikawa (eastern Aichi Prefecture) lands of the warlord Imagawa Ujichika from the encroachments of the Matsudaira clan of western Mikawa Province. Over the years, the castle was slowly expanded as its importance increased. Yoshida would come under the control of the Matsudaira, later renamed the Tokugawa, clan after the 1560 destruction of the Imagawa at the Battle of Okehazama.
