Azuchi castle

Azuchi castle is a very famous Japanese castle built on the shores of Lake Biwa by the Sengoku-era unifier Oda Nobunaga. Aside from military conquest, Oda was known as a patron of the arts, which he often employed to demonstrate his own prestige. Azuchi castle is one such demonstration, said to be one of the greatest castles ever to exist in Japan. The castle is covered in gold and littered with statues on the outside grounds and decorated with paintings by Oda's subject Kano Eitoku on the inside.