織田信長（1534－1582）は、山のふもとの谷間を流れる2つ谷の両側に宮殿を建てた。建物や庭園のためにより多くのスペースを得るために、傾斜地にテラスを造成した。その最も高いものと最も低いものは、最大30メートルも離れていた。
ポルトガルの宣教師ルイス・フロイス（1532ー1597）は、彼の著書「日本の歴史」で、彼は城の驚くべき大きさと荘厳さについて述べている。城の一階部分だけで15から20部屋もあった。妻は2階に住んでた。 3階はお茶会用のスペースで、4階は街とその周辺を見渡すために使われていた。この構造物の屋根瓦の破片から、屋根が金箔の瓦で覆われていたことがわかった。考古学的発掘調査により、この住居はかつて5～6つの異なる装飾庭園に囲まれていたことも確認された。
Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) built his palace at the base of the mountain in a small valley covering the little river that flowed through it. To create more space for buildings and gardens the sloping area was cut into terraces, the highest and lowest of which were separated by as much as 30 meters.
Portuguese missionary Luis Frois (1532–1597) stayed at Gifu for a short time and in his book A History of Japan, he described the impressive size and grandeur of the castle: the first floor of the castle alone, he wrote, had between 15 and 20 rooms. The second floor was reserved for Nobunaga’s wife. The third floor was a space for tea ceremonies, and the fourth floor was used to watch over the city and surrounding area. Shards of the roofing tiles from this structure have been found which indicated that the roof was coated in gold leaf. Archeological excavations have also confirmed that the residence was once surrounded by as many as five or six different ornamental gardens.
