Golden Statue of Oda Nobunaga

The statue of Oda Nobunaga, a Sengoku period warlord who hails from the city of Gifu awaits just in front of JR Gifu Station. Nobunaga staked a claim on Gifu as his operational base during his quest to unify Japan and is even credited with naming the area "Gifu”.

Step out to find the statue just outside the north side of the station square, named Nobunaga Yume Hiroba (Nobunaga's Dream Plaza). This larger-than-life likeness measures in as much as 8 meters tall, including the pedestal, while the statue itself stands a whopping 3 meters high in a shimmering wash of gold leaf. You can see this golden beacon as far as the pedestrian deck at the station’s doorstep, making it an iconic symbol of the city of Gifu. A closer look will show Nobunaga with a Western helmet in his left hand, while he dons a cloak and brandished Tanegashima gun in his right (brought from Tanegashima Island, now part of Kagoshima Prefecture). At a glance you can see no doubt that Nobunaga had an eager penchant for Western flair.

The statue was erected in 2009 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Gifu City's municipal organization, funded by donations from citizens. Swing by at night to catch it dazzling in an illumination that’s nothing short of majestic.