Kiyosu Castle, center of Kiyosu.
The city Kiyosu is the administration center of the Owari province. A commerce city and trading center, it is located at the junction of several important trade routes through the Tokaido region. As the initial domain of the Oda clan the city consequently became a stronghold of the Oda faction and the base from which Nobuna Oda consolidated her control over Owari Province and the Tokaido region. The wooden Kiysou Castle is the offical family estate of the Oda clan and is situated in the center of the city.
Layout[]
The city is located in a valley which is surrounded on all sides by hills and mountains, covered by a large forest. Near Kiyosu itself a big river runs through the farmland next to the city.
Kiyosu within the valley.
The city itself can be divided into three zones. The marginal areas of the city are inhabited by peasants, ordinary foot soldiers and poor traders, the lower class of the society. The houses in this zone are small and with only one floor.
The actual city, however, crisscrossed by smaller dirt roads and two main roads of stone, belongs to the high and middle class. Samurai, traders, cavalrymen and rich Ashigaru live in this part of Kiyosu. Notably the buildings there are multistorey and much larger than the peasant houses.
The downtown is covered by Kiyosu Castle, estate of Nobuna Oda and her highest retainers. The castle is protected by a wooden wall, towers and a moat. Within the castle are warehouses, residential buildings and a temple. Gardens and artificial ponds and streams provide a pleasant atmosphere.