Himeji Castle is one of the twelve original castles
in Japan and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one
of the best examples of a preserved castle ground.
Himeji Castle was inscribed in the
World Heritage list
as
a cultural site in 1993. It is also known as Shirasagijo,
White Heron Castle, because of the white plastered
walls. It is one of the twelve original castles still
surviving till this day. Himeji-jo is one of the best
castles
to visit for its enormous size, well preserved castle
grounds and elegant beauty. The architecture of
Himeji-
jo is one of the finest examples of 17th century
Japanese castles. It is comprised of 83 buildings with
greatly developed defense systems and marvelous
protection strategies. The three watchtowers are
connected by winding maze-like passages with
concealed mechanisms to halt the incoming enemies
by
throwing them into frenzy over their location. This is
to
prevent invaders from reaching the tallest watchtower
and castle keep, which is the center of the castle.
The castle was first built by Akamatsu, a local
samurai
leader, atop Mt. Hime in 1333. Himeji Castle was
never
involved in battles nor destroyed by earthquakes or
fires. When the Shogunate system collapsed in 1868
and the Meiji Restoration began, Himeji-jo was put on
the list for demolition or sale. In 1872 there was a
public
bidding for the castle and the highest denomination
was
23 yen and 50 sen. The person who bid on the castle
found out that it that it would cost more to take apart
the
castle and did nothing to it. The castle ground was
then
used by the Imperial Army Himeji Regiment until it
was
classified as a national treasure by the Ministry of
Education in 1927.
Please see
below for tours that include Himeji Castle:
