is a hilltop

Japanese castle are fortresses constructed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century. Castles in Japan were built to guard important or strategic sites, such ...

complex situated in the city of

Himeji 260px, Himeji City Hall is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km². The total area of the city is ...

which is located in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 rooms with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period. The castle is frequently known as ''Hakuro-jō'' or ''Shirasagi-jō'' ("White

Egret Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...

Castle" or " White Heron Castle") because of its brilliant white exterior and supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight. Himeji Castle dates to 1333 when Akamatsu Norimura built a fort on top of Himeyama hill. The fort was dismantled and rebuilt as Himeyama Castle in 1346 and then remodeled into Himeji Castle two centuries later. Himeji Castle was then significantly remodeled in 1581 by

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

, who added a three-story castle keep. In 1600,

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...

awarded the castle to

Ikeda Terumasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. His court title was '' Musashi no Kami''. Terumasa was also known by the nickname ''saigoku no shōgun'', or, "The ''Shōgun'' of Western Japan". Terumasa fought in many of the battles of the ...

for his help in the Battle of Sekigahara, and Ikeda completely rebuilt the castle from 1601 to 1609, expanding it into a large castle complex. Several buildings were later added to the castle complex by Honda Tadamasa from 1617 to 1618. For almost 700 years, Himeji Castle has remained intact, even throughout the bombing of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and natural disasters including the 1995

Great Hanshin earthquake The , or Kobe earthquake, occurred on January 17, 1995, at 05:46:53 JST (January 16 at 20:46:53 UTC) in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, including the region known as Hanshin. It measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale and ha ...

. Himeji Castle is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, and it was registered in 1993 as one of the first

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

s in the country. The area within the middle moat of the castle complex is a designated Special Historic Site and five structures of the castle are also designated National Treasures. Along with Matsumoto Castle and

Kumamoto Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle located in Chūō-ku, Kumamoto, in Kumamoto Prefecture. It was a large and well fortified castle. The is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960, but several ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original castle ...

, Himeji Castle is considered one of Japan's three premier castles. In order to preserve the castle buildings, it underwent restoration work for several years and reopened to the public on March 27, 2015. The works also removed decades of dirt and grime, restoring the formerly grey roof to its original brilliant white color.

History

Himeji Castle's construction dates to 1333, when a fort was constructed on Himeyama hill by Akamatsu Norimura, the ruler of the ancient Harima Province. In 1346, his son Sadanori demolished this fort and built Himeyama Castle in its place. In 1545, the Kuroda clan was stationed here by order of the Kodera clan, and feudal ruler Kuroda Shigetaka remodeled the castle into Himeji Castle, completing the work in 1561. In 1580,

Kuroda Yoshitaka , also known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Sengoku through early Edo periods. Renowned as a man of great ambition, he succeeded Takenaka Hanbei as a chief strategist and adviser to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Kuroda became a Christian ...

presented the castle to

, and in 1581 Hideyoshi significantly remodeled the castle, building a three-story keep with an area of about . Following the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600,

granted Himeji Castle to his son-in-law,

, as a reward for his help in battle. Ikeda demolished the three-story keep that had been created by Hideyoshi, and completely rebuilt and expanded the castle from 1601 to 1609, adding three moats and transforming it into the castle complex that is seen today. The expenditure of labor involved in this expansion is believed to have totaled 2.5 million man-days. Ikeda died in 1613, passing the castle to his son, who also died three years later. In 1617, Honda Tadamasa and his family inherited the castle, and Honda added several buildings to the castle complex, including a special tower for his daughter-in-law, called ''keshō yagura'' (Dressing Tower). In the

Meiji Period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

(1868–1912), many

s were destroyed. Himeji Castle was abandoned in 1871 and some of the castle corridors and gates were destroyed to make room for Japanese army barracks. The entirety of the castle complex was slated to be demolished by government policy, but it was spared by the efforts of Nakamura Shigeto, an army colonel. A stone monument honoring Nakamura was placed in the castle complex within the first gate, the . Although Himeji Castle was spared, Japanese castles had become obsolete and their preservation was costly. Château de Himeji01

When the han feudal system was abolished in 1871, Himeji Castle was put up for auction. The castle was purchased by a Himeji resident for 23 Japanese yen (about 200,000 yen or US$2,258 today). The buyer wanted to demolish the castle complex and develop the land, but the cost of destroying the castle was estimated to be too great, and it was again spared.

was heavily bombed in 1945, at the end of

, and although most of the surrounding area was burned to the ground, the castle survived intact. One firebomb was dropped on the top floor of the castle but failed to explode. In order to preserve the castle complex, substantial repair work was undertaken starting in 1956, with a labor expenditure of 250,000 man-days and a cost of 550 million yen. In January 1995, the city of Himeji was substantially damaged by the

, but Himeji Castle again survived virtually undamaged, demonstrating remarkable earthquake resistance. Even the bottle of

sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indee ...

placed on the altar at the top floor of the keep remained in place. Himeji Castle, November 2016 -02

Historical recognition

Himeji Castle was registered on 11 December 1993 as one of the first

s in Japan. Five structures of the castle are also designated National Treasures: The , , , , and . The area within the middle moat of the castle complex is a designated Special Historic Site. Along with Matsumoto Castle and

, Himeji Castle is considered one of Japan's three premier castles. It is the most visited castle in Japan, receiving over 2,860,000 visitors in 2015. Starting in April 2010, Himeji Castle underwent restoration work to preserve the castle buildings, and reopened to the public on March 27, 2015.

Design details

Himeji Castle is the largest castle in Japan. It serves as an excellent example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, containing many of the defensive and architectural features associated with Japanese castles. The curved walls of Himeji Castle are sometimes said to resemble giant , but the principal materials used in the structures are stone and wood. Feudal are installed throughout the architecture of the building, signifying the various lords that inhabited the castle throughout its history. The specific style of the castle is a ''hirayama'' (平山城 flat hilltop). Two castles that were built during the same time and shared many of the architectural features are Matsuyama Castle (Iyo) and Tsuyama Castle. Himeji-Castle-Painting-Early-Meiji-Period

Himeji-Castle-Painting-Early-Meiji-Period

The Himeji Castle complex is located in the centre of Himeji, Hyōgo on top of a hill called Himeyama, which is above sea level. The castle complex comprises a network of 83 buildings such as storehouses, gates, corridors, and . Of these 83 buildings, 74 are designated as Important Cultural Assets: 11 corridors, 16 turrets, 15 gates, and 32 earthen walls. The highest walls in the castle complex have a height of . Joining the castle complex is , a

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desi ...

created in 1992 to commemorate Himeji city's 100th anniversary. From east to west, the Himeji Castle complex has a length of , and from north to south, it has a length of . The castle complex has a

circumference In geometry, the circumference (from Latin ''circumferens'', meaning "carrying around") is the perimeter of a circle or ellipse. That is, the circumference would be the arc length of the circle, as if it were opened up and straightened out t ...

of . It covers an area of 233 hectares (2,330,000 m² or 576 acres), making it roughly 50 times as large as the

Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...

or 60 times as large as Koshien Stadium. Himeji Castle No09 116

The at the center of the complex is high, standing above sea level. Together with the main keep, three form a cluster of towers. Externally, the keep appears to have five floors, because the second and third floors from the top appear to be a single floor; however, it actually has six floors and a basement. The basement of the main keep has an area of , and its interior contains special facilities that are not seen in other castles, including lavatories, a drain board, and a kitchen corridor. The main keep has two pillars, with one standing in the east and one standing in the west. The east pillar, which has a base diameter of , was originally a single fir tree, but it has since been mostly replaced. The base of the west pillar is , and it is made of Japanese cypress. During the

Shōwa Restoration The was promoted by Japanese author Kita Ikki in the 1930s, with the goal of restoring power to the newly enthroned Emperor Shōwa and abolishing the liberal Taishō democracy. The aims of the "Shōwa Restoration" were similar to the Meiji Rest ...

(1956–1964) a Japanese cypress tree with a length of was brought down from the Kiso Mountains and replaced the old pillar. The tree was broken in this process, so another tree was brought down from

Mount Kasagata is a {{Convert, 939.4, m, ft, 0, abbr=on mountain in the Chūgoku Mountains, located on the border of Taka and Kamikawa, Hyōgo, Japan. This mountain is one of Hyōgo 50 mountains. This mountain is an important center of Kasagatayama-Sengamine ...

, and the two trees were joined on the third floor. The first floor of the main keep has an area of and is often called the "thousand-mat room" because it has over 330

Tatami A is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Tatamis are made in standard sizes, twice as long as wide, about 0.9 m by 1.8 m depending on the region. In martial arts, tatami are the floor used for traini ...

mats. The walls of the first floor have for holding

matchlock A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of rope that is touched to the gunpowder by a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or trigger with his finger. Befor ...

s and spears, and at one point, the castle contained as many as 280 guns and 90 spears. The second floor has an area of roughly . The third floor has an area of and the fourth floor has an area of . Both the third and fourth floors have platforms situated at the north and south windows called , where defenders could observe or throw objects at attackers. They also have small enclosed rooms called , where defenders could hide themselves and kill attackers by surprise as they entered the keep. The final floor, the sixth floor, has an area of only . The sixth floor windows now have iron bars in place, but in the feudal period the panoramic view from the windows was unobstructed.

Defences

Himeji Castle contains advanced defensive systems from the feudal period. in the shape of circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles are located throughout Himeji Castle, intended to allow defenders armed with

tanegashima is one of the Ōsumi Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, 444.99 km2 in area, is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands, and has a population of 33,000 people. Access to the island is by ferry, or by air to Ne ...

archers Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...

to fire on attackers without exposing themselves. Roughly 1,000 loopholes exist in the castle buildings remaining today. Angled chutes called were also set at numerous points in the castle walls, enabling stones or boiling oil to be poured on the heads of attackers passing by underneath, and white plaster was used in the castle's construction for its resistance to fire. The castle complex included three moats, one of which—the outer moat—is now buried. Parts of the central moat and all of the inner moats survive. The moats have an average width of , a maximum width of , and a depth of about . The is a pond which exists inside the castle; one of the purposes of this moat was to store water for use in fire prevention. The castle complex, particularly the , contains numerous warehouses that were used to store rice, salt, and water in case of a siege. A building known as the was used specifically to store salt, and it is estimated that it contained as many as 3,000 bags of salt when the castle complex was in use. The castle complex also contained 33 wells within the inner moat, 13 of which remain; the deepest of these has a depth of . Himeji castle-hishi-no-mon

One of the castle's most important defensive elements is the confusing maze of paths leading to the castle's keep. The gates, baileys, and outer walls of the complex are organized so as to confuse an approaching force, causing it to travel in a spiral pattern around the complex on its way to the keep. The castle complex originally contained 84 gates, 15 of which were named according to the Japanese syllabary ''

iroha The is a Japanese poem. Originally the poem was attributed to the founder of the Shingon Esoteric sect of Buddhism in Japan, Kūkai, but more modern research has found the date of composition to be later in the Heian period (794–1179). Th ...

'' (''I'', ''Ro'', ''Ha'', ''Ni'', ''Ho'', ''He'', ''To'', etc.). At present, 21 gates from the castle complex remain intact, 13 of which are named according to the Japanese syllabary. In many cases, the castle walkways even turn back on themselves, greatly inhibiting navigation. For example, the straight distance from the to the is only , but the path itself is a much longer . The passages are also steep and narrow, further inhibiting entry. This system allowed the intruders to be watched and fired upon from the keep during their lengthy approach, but Himeji Castle was never attacked in this manner so the system remains untested. However, even today with the route clearly marked, many visitors have trouble navigating the castle complex.

Cultural impact

Himeji Castle is frequently known as ''Hakuro-jō'' or ''Shirasagi-jō'' ("White Egret Castle" or " White Heron Castle") because of its brilliant white exterior and supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight. The castle has been featured extensively in foreign and Japanese films, including the James Bond movie " You Only Live Twice" (1967), and

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

's ''

Kagemusha is a 1980 jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It is set in the Sengoku period of Japanese history and tells the story of a lower-class criminal who is taught to impersonate the dying ''daimyō'' Takeda Shingen to dissuade opposing lords fr ...

'' (1980) and '' Ran'' (1985). In the television miniseries ''Shōgun'' (1980) it served as a stand-in for feudal-era

Osaka Castle is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and it played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Layout The main tower ...

. In the video games Civilization Revolution and Civilization V, Himeji Castle is available to build as a world wonder. It is also to be found as a Great Building in Forge of Empires.

Lore and legend

Himeji Castle is associated with a number of local legends. The well-known ''

kaidan is a Japanese word consisting of two kanji: 怪 (''kai'') meaning "strange, mysterious, rare, or bewitching apparition" and 談 (''dan'') meaning "talk" or "recited narrative". Overall meaning and usage In its broadest sense, ''kaidan'' refers ...

'' (or Japanese ghost story) of is set in Edo (Tokyo), but a variant called is set in Himeji Castle. There is a disputed claim that the castle is the ''bona fide'' location of the entire legend, and the alleged Okiku's Well remains in the castle to this day. According to the legend, Okiku was falsely accused of losing dishes that were valuable family treasures, and then killed and thrown into the well. Her ghost remained to haunt the well at night, counting dishes in a despondent tone. Himeji Castle is said to be inhabited by the

yōkai are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. The word is composed of the kanji for "attractive; calamity" and "apparition; mystery; suspicious." are also referred to as , or . Despite often being translated as suc ...

Osakabehime, who lives in the castle tower and avoids humans, whom she hates. In some legends she takes the form of an old woman (or woman in her 30s) in ceremonial, twelve-layered kimono. She can read human minds and control lesser animal-like yōkai, ''kenzokushin''. The legend of the is another folklore story associated with the castle. According to the legend,

ran out of stones when building the original three-story keep, and an old woman heard about his trouble. She gave him her hand millstone even though she needed it for her trade. It was said that people who heard the story were inspired and also offered stones to Hideyoshi, speeding up the construction of the castle. To this day, the supposed stone can be seen covered with a wire net in the middle of one of the stone walls in the castle complex. A folklore story is also associated with Sakurai Genbei, who was

's master carpenter in the construction of the keep. According to the legend, Sakurai was dissatisfied with his construction, feeling that the keep leaned a little to the southeast. Eventually, he became distraught and climbed to the top of the keep, where he jumped to his death with a chisel in his mouth.

Visitor statistics

* On 14 April 2009, the total number of visits since the Showa-era restoration surpassed 40 million.

Additional information

National treasures and sister castles

Other national treasures (castles) besides Himeji Castle include Matsumoto Castle, Inuyama Castle, Matsue Castle, and Hikone Castle. The sister castles of Himeji Castle are

Château de Chantilly The Château de Chantilly () is a historic French château located in the town of Chantilly, Oise, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Paris. The site comprises two attached buildings: the Petit Château built around 1560 for Anne de Montmor ...

in France and

Conwy Castle Conwy Castle ( cy, Castell Conwy; ) is a fortification in Conwy, located in North Wales. It was built by Edward I, during his conquest of Wales, between 1283 and 1287. Constructed as part of a wider project to create the walled town of Conw ...

in Wales. Castles that were of the same ''hirayama'' hilltop styles are Matsuyama Castle (Iyo) built in 1603 and Tsuyama Castle.

Gallery

Panoramic overview
Himejijou castle grounds

Views from afar
File:Himeji Mt Shosha01n4592.jpg, The castle's keeps and city as seen from

Engyō-ji The is a temple of the Tendai sect in Himeji, Hyōgo, Japan. History It was founded by Shoku Shonin in 966. The complex of buildings is at the top of Mt Shosha approximately 25 minutes by bus from Himeji Station. The mountain summit can be ...

File:Himeji Castle seen from west 02.jpg, The castle complex as seen from the west File:Himeji castle and bridge.jpg, Keeps and bridge as seen from the entrance File:Himeji castle.JPG, A view of Keeps and the lush castle grounds below File:Himeji castle 0012.jpg, Keeps as seen from the grounds below Views from below
File:HimejiCastleAccess.JPG, One of the steep, narrow walkways controlling access to the castle File:Look up Ido Kuruwa in Himeji Castle .jpg, One of the steep castle walls File:Himeji castle from distance.JPG, Himeji castle as seen from the princess's quarters File:Himeji Castle No09 093.jpg, The keep as seen from within the File:Flickr - yeowatzup - Himeji Castle, Himeji, Hyogo, Japan.jpg, File:Himeji Castle Japan.jpg File:Himeji Castle, November 2016 -03.jpg, Detail of keep File:Himeji castle various views - 2019 8 13.webm, Various external views with tourists, 2019 File:Himeji-Castle-below-2017-Luka-Peternel.jpg, Himeji Castle view from below in May 2017 Views at night
File:Blue Himeji Castle at night 06.jpg, File:Blue Himeji Castle at night 09.jpg, File:Himeji castle 2009 07 18.jpg, File:Himejijo Kangetsukai Oct09 122.JPG, File:Himejijo Kangetsukai Oct09 198.JPG, Views from above
File:Himeji Castle - roofs.jpg, Castle walls and rooftops File:Himeji Castle No09 152.jpg, East tower and corridors File:Himeji Castle No09 155.jpg, The castle rooftops and surrounding city File:Himeji Castle No09 128.jpg, Part of the intricate castle complex File:Himeji Castle No09 125.jpg, A mythical tiger-headed fish called ''shachi'' (鯱). This motif was used atop the castle towers as a talisman for fire prevention. Views from the interior
File:Himeji Castle No09 019.jpg, A File:Himeji Castle No09 018.jpg, A window for an

archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

or defender using a

Matchlock A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of rope that is touched to the gunpowder by a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or trigger with his finger. Befor ...

File:Himeji Castle No09 044.jpg, An interior room with

mats File:Himeji Castle No09 033.jpg, A hallway File:Himeji Castle No09 041.jpg, Castle windows Views with cherry blossoms
File:Himeji Castle with cherry blossoms from SouthWest.jpg, Taken at Three Country Moats File:090411 Himeji Castle Hyogo pref Japan01s10.jpg, Sakura at Himeji Castle File:Himeji Castle with cherry blossoms from Himeji Zoo.jpg, Taken at Himeji City Zoo File:Himeji Castle with cherry blossoms from front.jpg, Taken from the south Views of the restoration
File:Himeji Castle Restoration 0 temporary cover and gantry.jpg, Temporary cover and gantry File:Himeji Castle Restoration 1 temporary cover.jpg, Temporary cover File:Himeji Castle Restoration 3 roof plastering stages.jpg, Different stages of applying plaster to the roof tiles. The plaster protects the roof from water ingress and stops the tiles from being dislodged by typhoon winds. File:Himeji Castle Restoration 4 roof construction.jpg, Roof structure underneath the tiles File:Himeji Castle Restoration 5 keep roof nearing completion.jpg, View of the keep roof nearing completion, taken from the public view gallery. Views of pictures
File:Himeji-jo-112113.jpg, Bodhidharma. File:Himeji-jo-112115.jpg,

Samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

. File:Himeji-jo-112120.jpg, A fish.

References

;Further reading
Benesch, Oleg. "Castles and the Militarisation of Urban Society in Imperial Japan," ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'', Vol. 28 (Dec. 2018), pp. 107-134.
* * * * *

External links

*
Japan's Samurai Castles

Asian Historical Architecture – Himeji Castle

UNESCO World Heritage Centre – Himeji Castle

;Video
The White Fortress: Himeji-jo
(

video on YouTube) *
Discover the Himeji Castle in Japan

Virtual tour of Himeji Castle examining its modern history on the Japan's Modern Castles YouTube channel
{{Good article 1581 establishments in Japan Buildings and structures completed in 1346 Buildings and structures completed in 1581 Buildings and structures completed in 1609 Castles in Hyōgo Prefecture Buildings and structures in Himeji Tourist attractions in Himeji Honda clan Houses completed in 1618 Ikeda clan Important Cultural Properties of Japan Kuroda clan Maebashi-Matsudaira clan National Treasures of Japan Okudaira-Matsudaira clan Reportedly haunted locations in Japan Sakai clan Sakakibara clan Special Historic Sites Toyotomi clan World Heritage Sites in Japan