About Gifu City

Gifu City, the prefectural capital, is in the south-central part of Gifu Prefecture in the Chubu region of Japan. Before becoming a city in 1567,

For further information about the history and other interesting facts about our city visit www.wikipedia.org and search 'Gifu City'.

On this webpage the students, teachers and ALT of Gifu High School have provided photos and information about things to do in Gifu City.

Very short history of Gifu's name

The Mino Province was renamed Gifu in 1567, during Oda Nobunaga's reign of power (mid-sixteenth century). The first character is from Qishan , the legendary mountain from which most of ancient China was unified. The second character means "base of the mountain" and comes from Qufu, the birthplace of Confucious. Although Nobunaga was not originally from the area, he chose to use Saito Dosan's* castle and mountain as his

* During the Sengoku period, Saito Dosan (a rebel himself who took control of Mino Province from the Toki Clan) was one of the first major residents in what was formally known as Inabayama Castle on Mount Inaba. His daughter married Nobunaga, who later rebelled and overthrew Dosan.


To reach the castle (current version rebuilt in 1956) you can either climb the mountain by foot - it's only 329 metres high - or use the Kinka-zan Ropeway from the foot of Mount Kinka, which can be found through Gifu Park. Gifu Park is an attraction in itself, with its water features and beautiful cherry trees. Along the ropeway ride you can spot the pagoda amongst the mountain trees, watch Nagara river snake through the city and generally admire the views. Once you reach the castle there is a 360-degree panoramic view awaiting you, which is available to enjoy at night during certain times of the year.