In 1583, Kanazawa Castle became the home to the powerful Maeda Clan. Toshiie Maeda was the first retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and was placed in Kanazawa. For more than 280 years the Maeda Clan governed the Kaga area (present day Ishikawa and Toyama). Over the centuries the castle had been burnt down several times and the most recent occurred in 1881. Only two storehouses and the Ishikawa-mon Gate were the sole survivors of the fire. The fire in 1602 destroyed the main keep and has never been rebuilt to this day. For a few decades the castle grounds were occupied by Kanazawa University until the campus was moved to a different location in the 1990s. Since then a reconstruction process has been underway and many of the central structures were rebuilt. Two turrets and a long storehouse were the first to be reconstructed. These structures were built using traditional techniques and materials to match their original 1850s appearance. In 2010, the Kahoku-mon Gate was completed, which was the main entrance for the castle. The upper floors can be accessed free of charge and has displays about the history of the gate. The most recent additions were the Hashizume-mon Gate and Gyokuseninmaru Garden in 2015.
