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Himeji Castle

Unharmed Castle of Beauty and Luck

Himeji Castle is one of the best preserved castles in Japan, and is also known as White Heron Castle, with its white towering Tenshukaku Complex. Since its construction in 1601, the castle has not seen a war in 400 years and was one of the first World Heritage Sites in Japan.

Himeji Castle is located in the northern part of Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture. When you step out of the Himeji Station lobby, you can see Himeji Castle's Magnificent Stance at the end of the road.

In 1333, Akamatsu Norimura built a fort on top of Himeyama hill, and in 1346, Akamatsu Sadanori began to build a fortress at the same place, which was the original Himeji Castle. During the Azuchi-Momoyama period, Toyotomi Hideyoshi occupied the Harima area (present-day Hyogo Prefecture) and built a three-story Tenshukaku in Himeji. After the end of the Battle of Sekigahara, Ikeda Terumasa 池田輝政, who had fought on the side of the Tokugawa army, became the master of Himeji Castle and spent nine years on the construction of the Tenshukaku complex, which was completed in 1608.

Himeji Castle was built with a 45.6-meter-high Great Tenshukaku 大天守閣 as its centerpiece, and was surrounded by annexes of varying heights, such as Northwest Small Keep (乾小天守, inui kotenshu), West Small Keep (西小天守, nishi kotenshu), East Small Keep (東小天守, higashi kotenshu), which formed an ingeniously designed Renritusu-shiki-tenshu (連立式天守 Linked Tenshukaku Complex). Himeji Castle is also called “White Heron Castle” because of the white outer walls of the castle tower and the turrets.

The three-dimensional space in the castle and the linked Tenshukaku complex

The Great Tenshukaku of Himeji Castle is located on a 15-meter high stone wall and has five floors on the outside, six floors above ground and one floor below ground on the inside. In order to enhance the stability of the building, two 25-meter-high Core Pillars were used in the Tenshukaku, which can be up to 1 meter in diameter at its thickest point, connecting the various floors of the building into a single unit.

The mission of Himeji Castle was no different from that of other castles in Japan, strong walls and easily defensible terrain were the foundation of the castle. In addition, the designers have thought of many ways to improve the castle’s defensive capabilities. You can find Firing holes on the Castle Walls everywhere, among them, the square windows were suitable for archery aiming, and the round and triangular windows were for artillery shooting. You can also see designs like Weapon Hangers and Stone Throwing Hatches in the castle keeps and the turrets.

Manywhere Trivia:
Drone filming is strictly prohibited throughout Himeji Castle because it was hit once, and has suffered a loss.

Fortunately, in the 400 years since it was built, Himeji Castle has survived the war and is the best-preserved castle in Japan. Himeji Castle is the first of Japan’s five national treasure Castles, as well as being one of the country’s first World Heritage sites.

The five national treasure Castles are Himeji Castle 姫路城, Matsumoto Castle 松本城, Hikone Castle 彦根城, Inuyama Castle 犬山城, and Matsue Castle 松江城, as well as seven other castles designated as Important Cultural Properties: Hirosaki Castle 弘前城, Maruoka Castle 丸岡城, Bicchu Matsuyama Castle 備中松山城, Marugame Castle 丸亀城, Iyo Matsuyama Castle 松山城, Uwajima Castle 宇和島城, and Kochi Castle 高知城. The better known Osaka Castle 大阪城, Nagoya Castle 名古屋城, and Kumamoto Castle 熊本城 are not among the twelve Tenshukakus mentioned above, as they have all been damaged or rebuilt and are actually new ones.

Nishinomaru Garden 西之丸庭園 is a cherry blossom viewing spot within the castle, and it is said that Princess Sen-hime, the granddaughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu, lived here when she married into Himeji Castle.

Night Cherry Blossoms at Nishinomaru Garden

There are also many legends related to Himeji Castle, such as the ghost story of Okiku, Miyamoto Musashi’s exorcism of demons, and the legend of the Granny Stone. The ghost story of Okiku is one of the most famous horror legends in Japan, and the Okiku 's Well in Himeji Castle is always crowded with Japanese spectators who tell different versions of the story and sympathize with Okiku’s death.