Odawara Castle was originally built in the mid 15th century and soon fell into the hands of the Hojo Clan, one of the most powerful clans during the Warring States Era who used it as a base to control the region around modern day Tokyo. In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi attacked the castle, and with the defeat of the Hojo Clan, reunited Japan.
In 1703 the castle was destroyed by an earthquake but quickly rebuilt; yet in 1870, the castle keep and other buildings were dismantled and sold. The keep was rebuilt again in ferro-concrete in 1960 based on models and drawings from the Edo Period. Over the following years, the three major gates leading up to the castle were also restored.
