Himeji Castle

The Himeji Castle is situated in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. It contains 83 buildings which are made with wood. Norimura Akamatsu, who was the ruler in 1333, constructed a fort where the castle stood. The fort was expanded further by Sadanori, the son of Norimura Akamatsu, in the year 1346.

During the Onin wars, the castle was severely damaged. Toyotami Hideyoshi took hold of the castle in the year 1580, and a three floored building was built in that place by Kuroda Yoshitaka. In the year 1600, Sekigahara Battle occurred and the Himeji Castle was handed to Ikeda Terumasa by Tokugawa Leyasu, to restore the Himeji castle. It took nine long years to bring back the Himeji Castle to its original shape.

Himeji was known to be the last construction during the Edo period. After that, Sakai Tadasumi descendents held the Himeji Castle until the Meiji Restoration. In the year 1868, the government of Japan took control of the castle. During War World II in 1945, bombings were held twice at Himeji Castle, causing severe damage to the castle. Later in 1956, the restoration of the castle started again.

The castle has a great structure and it is also called “White Heron” due to the fact that the walls comprises of white plaster. The white plaster is used as a fireproof.  Compare to the other castles in Japan, the construction of the Himeji Castle is made of wood only. The Himeji Castle is constructed 45.6 meters high on the top of sea level, and on the hill known as Himeyama.

The Himeji Castle provides a great scenic beauty, from the walls base, the shape of fan curve can be seen. Also, there are beautiful green lush gardens in the Himeji Castle. The interesting factor at the Himeji castle is the design of the tower, where many people lost their way even though the directions are exactly marked.

Traveling to the Himeji Castle
Its just 20 minutes walk from the Himeji Station and a 5-minute ride from Otemae-Cori Street. The castle opens from 9:00 am and closes at 4:00 pm in the evening. The entry fee is 600 yen.

Himeji Castle