Odawara Castle Tower

【project overview】
More than 50 years have passed since the outer appearance of Oda Castle Tower was restored with reinforced concrete in 1960. Along with this, the displays inside the castle tower was also completely renewed, and we assisted in the schematic design and working drawings (both subcontracted by an design administration company) and displays production work.

[Customer issues]
The theme of this project is to "disseminate the historical charm of Odawara, centering on Odawara Castle as a base for historical tourism". Our mission was to improve the displays and, as a result, enhance the appeal of Odawara Castle as a historical tourist facility.
As a challenge, the Odawara Hojo clan was defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's army in the ``Odawara Battle'', so the general public has a strong image of a ``loser military commander.'' The ideals and achievements were not sufficiently communicated.
Odawara City wanted to convey what Mr. Hojo left behind in Odawara.

【solution】
In response to this issue, in the first displays zone on the first floor, in order to convey that Odawara Castle was built in the early modern period (Edo period), we introduced a castle tower model model with a gorgeous castle town map from the Edo period. Placed as an eyeball.
By comparing Odawara Castle with castles that everyone knows, such as the "Top 10 Castle Tower Height Comparison in Japan", we made it a mechanism to draw out the understanding and interest of visitors by connecting their own knowledge with Odawara Castle. The graphic explanations are mainly pictures and diagrams, and are devised so that even foreigners can understand without reading the text.
In addition, in order to increase the number of fans of Mr. Hojo Odawara, the achievements and history of the five generations of Hojo are presented in a profound “drama style” reminiscent of the Taiga drama, and by depicting the feelings of the parents and children that must have existed there, they can be seen as people. The video captures the image of Mr. Hojo and his son, and it is a video that resonates with the hearts of visitors.
For the video content, we also focused on production techniques that allow general tourists and children to enjoy watching until the end without getting bored, such as making it a "travel program". In addition, the displays was created using the power and materials of the local people, such as using local actors as actors, and using local traditional crafts such as marquetry and locally produced materials for the interiors. This is also a major feature of this project.
In particular, the restoration work on the altar enshrining the statue of Marishiten (guardian deity of the castle) on the top floor was carried out by local lumber industry cooperatives and builders. It is the centerpiece of