Himeji Castle
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox military installation Template:Infobox Chinese Template:Nihongo is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in Himeji, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, 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.<ref name="unesco">Template:Cite web</ref> The 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.<ref name="bornoff2000">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="dk2000">Template:Cite book</ref>
As with almost all Japanese castles from the Azuchi-Momoyama period onward, the Template:Nihongo3, the most prominent structure, was used as a storehouse in times of peace and as a fortified tower in times of war, and the Template:Nihongo3's government offices and residences were located in a group of single-story buildings near the tenshu and the surrounding Template:Nihongo3.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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, who added a three-story castle keep. In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu awarded the castle to Ikeda Terumasa 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.<ref name="sakurai">Template:Cite news</ref> Several buildings were later added to the castle complex by Honda Tadamasa from 1617 to 1618.<ref name="guidebook" /> For almost 700 years, Himeji Castle has remained intact, withstanding incidents such as the bombing of Himeji in World War II, and natural disasters, including the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake.<ref name="sakurai" /><ref name="japantravelinfo">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="japanatlas">Template:Cite web</ref>
Himeji Castle is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, and it was registered in 1993 as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country.<ref name="japantravelinfo" /> 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.<ref name="guidebook" /><ref name="himejicity01">Template:Cite web</ref> Along with Matsumoto Castle and Kumamoto Castle, Himeji Castle is considered one of Japan's three premier castles.<ref name="kobayashi">Template:Cite web</ref> The castle buildings underwent restoration work for several years and reopened to the public on March 27, 2015.<ref name="city.himeji.lg.jp">Template:Cite web</ref> The works also removed decades of dirt and grime, restoring the formerly grey roof to its original brilliant white color.
History
Himeyama hill, the location of present-day Himeji Castle, was first fortified in 1333 by Akamatsu Norimura, the shugo of Harima Province, during the Genkō War.<ref name="sakurai" /> In 1346, his son Sadanori demolished this fort and built Himeyama Castle in its place.<ref name="sakurai" /><ref name=Hinago>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref name="sakurai" /><ref name="castleexplorer">Template:Cite web</ref> In 1580, Kuroda Yoshitaka presented the castle to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and in 1581 Hideyoshi significantly expanded the castle, building a three-story keep with an area of about Template:Convert.<ref name="guidebook" /><ref name="castleexplorer" />
Following the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu granted Himeji Castle to his son-in-law, Ikeda Terumasa, as a reward for his help in battle.<ref name="sakurai" /> Ikeda demolished the three-story keep Hideyoshi had built in 1581, 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.<ref name="sakurai" /><ref name="guidebook" /> The expenditure of labor involved in this expansion is believed to have totaled 2.5 million man-days.<ref name="sakurai" /> Ikeda died in 1613, passing the castle to his son, who also died three years later.<ref name="ball2005">Template:Cite book</ref> 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, Template:Nihongo<ref name="ball2005" /> called keshō yagura (Dressing Tower).
In the Meiji Period (1868–1912), many Japanese castles were destroyed.<ref name="japantravelinfo" /> Himeji Castle was abandoned in 1871 and some of the castle corridors and gates were destroyed to make room for Japanese army barracks.<ref name="guidebook" /><ref name="castleexplorer" /> 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.<ref name="guidebook" /> A stone monument honoring Nakamura was placed in the castle complex within the first gate, the Template:Nihongo.<ref name="guidebook" /><ref name=map>Template:Cite web</ref> Although Himeji Castle was spared, Japanese castles had become obsolete and their preservation was costly.<ref name="guidebook" />
When the han feudal system was abolished in 1871, Himeji Castle was officially designated for military use in 1872.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> By 1874, it briefly served as the headquarters for the 10th Infantry Regiment before being replaced by the Osaka Sendai unit later that year.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Efforts to preserve the castle began in 1877, but it wasn't until 1910 that the government provided funding for a comprehensive restoration project.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Himeji was heavily bombed in 1945, at the end of World War II, and although most of the surrounding area was burned to the ground, the castle survived intact.<ref name="unesco" /> One firebomb was dropped on the top floor of the castle but failed to explode.<ref name="bestwestern">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="guidebook" /><ref name="castleexplorer" /> In January 1995, the city of Himeji was substantially damaged by the Great Hanshin earthquake, but Himeji Castle again survived virtually undamaged, demonstrating remarkable earthquake resistance.<ref name="japanatlas" /> Even the bottle of sake placed on the altar at the top floor of the keep remained in place.<ref name="japanatlas" />
Historical recognition
Himeji Castle was registered on 11 December 1993 as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan.<ref name="guidebook" /><ref name="japantravelinfo" /><ref name="unesco" /> Five structures of the castle are also designated National Treasures: The Template:Nihongo,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Nihongo,<ref name=inui>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Nihongo,<ref name=nishi>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Nihongo,<ref name=higashi>Template:Cite web</ref> and Template:Nihongo.<ref name="himejicity01" /><ref name=yagura>Template:Cite web</ref> The area within the middle moat of the castle complex is a designated Special Historic Site.<ref name="guidebook" />
Along with Matsumoto Castle and Kumamoto Castle, Himeji Castle is considered one of Japan's three premier castles.<ref name="kobayashi" /> It is the most visited castle in Japan, receiving over 2,860,000 visitors in 2015.<ref name="sakurai" /><ref name="japantravelinfo" /> Starting in April 2010, Himeji Castle underwent restoration work to preserve the castle buildings, and reopened to the public on March 27, 2015.<ref name="city.himeji.lg.jp" />
Design details
Himeji Castle is the largest castle in Japan.<ref name="japantravelinfo" /> It serves as an excellent example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, containing many of the defensive and architectural features associated with Japanese castles.<ref name="unesco" /> The curved walls of Himeji Castle are sometimes said to resemble giant Template:Nihongo, but the principal materials used in the structures are stone and wood.<ref name="guidebook" /><ref name="bornoff2000" /> Feudal Template:Nihongo are installed throughout the architecture of the building, signifying the various lords that inhabited the castle throughout its history.<ref name="guidebook" />
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.
The Himeji Castle complex is located in the centre of Himeji, Hyōgo on top of a hill called Himeyama, which is Template:Convert above sea level. The castle complex comprises a network of 83 buildings such as storehouses, gates, corridors, and Template:Nihongo.<ref name="guidebook" /><ref name="map" /> Of these 83 buildings, 74 are designated as Important Cultural Assets: 11 corridors, 16 turrets, 15 gates, and 32 earthen walls.<ref name="japanatlas" /> The highest walls in the castle complex have a height of Template:Convert.<ref name="guidebook" /> Joining the castle complex is Template:Nihongo, a Japanese garden created in 1992 to commemorate Himeji city's 100th anniversary.<ref name="eokjp">Template:Cite web</ref>
From east to west, the Himeji Castle complex has a length of Template:Convert, and from north to south, it has a length of Template:Convert.<ref name="guidebook" /> The castle complex has a circumference of Template:Convert.<ref name="guidebook" /> 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 or 60 times as large as Koshien Stadium.<ref name="sakurai" /><ref name="guidebook" /><ref name="unesco" />
The Template:Nihongo at the center of the complex is Template:Convert high, standing Template:Convert above sea level. Together with the main keep, three Template:Nihongo form a cluster of towers.<ref name="guidebook" /> 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.<ref name="dk2000" /> The basement of the main keep has an area of Template:Convert, and its interior contains special facilities that are not seen in other keeps, including lavatories, a drain board, and a kitchen corridor.<ref name="guidebook" />
The main keep has two pillars, with one standing in the east and one standing in the west.<ref name="guidebook" /> The east pillar, which has a base diameter of Template:Convert, was originally a single fir tree, but it has since been mostly replaced.<ref name="guidebook" /> <ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The base of the west pillar is Template:Convert, and it is made of Japanese cypress.<ref name="guidebook" /> During the Shōwa Restoration (1956–1964) a Japanese cypress tree with a length of Template:Convert was brought down from the Kiso Mountains and replaced the old pillar.<ref name="guidebook" /> The tree was broken in this process, so another tree was brought down from Mount Kasagata, and the two trees were joined on the third floor.<ref name="guidebook" />
The first floor of the main keep has an area of Template:Convert and is often called the "thousand-mat room" because it has over 330 Tatami mats.<ref name="guidebook" /> The walls of the first floor have Template:Nihongo for holding matchlocks and spears, and at one point, the castle contained as many as 280 guns and 90 spears.<ref name="guidebook" /> The second floor has an area of roughly Template:Convert.<ref name="guidebook" />
The third floor has an area of Template:Convert and the fourth floor has an area of Template:Convert.<ref name="guidebook" /> Both the third and fourth floors have platforms situated at the north and south windows called Template:Nihongo, where defenders could observe or throw objects at attackers.<ref name="guidebook" /> They also have small enclosed rooms called Template:Nihongo, where defenders could hide themselves and kill attackers by surprise as they entered the keep.<ref name="guidebook" /> The final floor, the sixth floor, has an area of only Template:Convert.<ref name="guidebook" /> The sixth floor windows now have iron bars in place, but in the feudal period the panoramic view from the windows was unobstructed.<ref name="guidebook" />
Defences
Himeji Castle contains advanced defensive systems from the feudal period.<ref name="unesco" /> Template:Nihongo in the shape of circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles are located throughout Himeji Castle, intended to allow defenders armed with tanegashima or archers to fire on attackers without exposing themselves.<ref name="dk2000" /> Roughly 1,000 loopholes exist in the castle buildings remaining today.<ref name="guidebook" /> Angled chutes called Template:Nihongo 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.<ref name="turnbull2003">Template:Cite book</ref>
The castle complex included three moats, one of which—the outer moat—is now buried.<ref name="bornoff2000" /> Parts of the central moat and all of the inner moats survive.<ref name="bornoff2000" /> The moats have an average width of Template:Convert, a maximum width of Template:Convert, and a depth of about Template:Convert.<ref name="japanatlas" /> The Template:Nihongo is a Template:Convert pond which exists inside the castle; one of the purposes of this moat was to store water for use in fire prevention.<ref name="guidebook" />
The castle complex, particularly the Template:Nihongo, contains numerous warehouses that were used to store rice, salt, and water in case of a siege.<ref name="guidebook" /> A building known as the Template:Nihongo <ref name="map" /> 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.<ref name="guidebook" /> The castle complex also contained 33 wells within the inner moat, 13 of which remain; the deepest of these has a depth of Template:Convert.<ref name="guidebook" />
One of the castle's most important defensive elements is the confusing maze of paths leading to the castle's keep.<ref name="dk2000" /> 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.<ref name="dk2000" /> The castle complex originally contained 84 gates, 15 of which were named according to the Japanese syllabary iroha (I, Ro, Ha, Ni, Ho, He, To, etc.).<ref name="guidebook" /> At present, 21 gates from the castle complex remain intact, 13 of which are named according to the Japanese syllabary.<ref name="guidebook" />
In many cases, the castle walkways even turn back on themselves, greatly inhibiting navigation.<ref name="turnbull2003" /> For example, the straight distance from the Template:Nihongo<ref name="map" /> to the Template:Nihongo is only Template:Convert, but the path itself is a much longer Template:Convert.<ref name="guidebook" /> The passages are also steep and narrow, further inhibiting entry.<ref name="guidebook" /> 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.<ref name="unesco" /><ref name="dk2000" /> 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.<ref name="bornoff2000" /><ref name="dk2000" /> The castle has been featured extensively in foreign and Japanese films, including the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice (1967), and Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha (1980) and Ran (1985).<ref name="kobayashi" /> In the television miniseries Shōgun (1980) it served as a stand-in for feudal-era Osaka Castle.<ref name="bestwestern" /> In the video games Civilization Revolution (2008) and Civilization V (2010), Himeji Castle is available to build as a world wonder. It is also to be found as a Great Building in Forge of Empires (2012).
In 2023 the Lego Group launched a 2,125-piece model of Himeji Castle as part of its Lego Architecture Series.
Lore and legend
The Dish Mansion at Banchō
Himeji Castle is associated with a number of local legends.<ref name="guidebook" /> The well-known kaidan (or Japanese ghost story) of Template:Nihongo is set in Edo (Tokyo), but a variant called Template:Nihongo 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.<ref name="ball2005" /> According to the legend, Okiku was falsely accused of losing dishes that were valuable family treasures, and then killed and thrown into the well.<ref name="guidebook" /> Her ghost remained to haunt the well at night, counting dishes in a despondent tone.<ref name="guidebook" />
Osakabehime
Himeji Castle is said to be inhabited by the yōkai Osakabehime, who lives in the castle tower and avoids humans, whom she hates.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> In some legends, she takes the form of an old woman (or woman in her 30s) in ceremonial, twelve-layered kimono.<ref name="meyer">Template:Cite web</ref> She can read human minds and control lesser animal-like yōkai, kenzokushin.<ref name="meyer"/>
Ubagaishi
The legend of the Template:Nihongo is another folklore story associated with the castle.<ref name="guidebook" /> According to the legend, Toyotomi Hideyoshi ran out of stones when building the original three-story keep, and an old woman heard about his trouble.<ref name="guidebook" /> She gave him her hand millstone even though she needed it for her trade.<ref name="guidebook" /> It was said that people who heard the story were inspired and also offered stones to Hideyoshi, speeding up the construction of the castle.<ref name="guidebook" /> 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.<ref name="guidebook" />
Sakurai Genbei
A folklore story is also associated with Sakurai Genbei, who was Ikeda Terumasa's master carpenter in the construction of the keep.<ref name="guidebook" /> According to the legend, Sakurai was dissatisfied with his construction, feeling that the keep leaned a little to the southeast.<ref name="guidebook" /> Eventually, he became distraught and climbed to the top of the keep, where he jumped to his death with a chisel in his mouth.<ref name="guidebook" />
Visitor statistics
- On 14 April 2009, the total number of visits since the Showa-era restoration surpassed 40 million.<ref>姫路城、入場者4000万人突破 昭和の大修理から45年で Template:Webarchive（共同通信2009年4月14日）</ref>
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 in France and Conwy Castle in Wales.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Castles that were of the same hirayama hilltop styles are Matsuyama Castle (Iyo) built in 1603 and Tsuyama Castle.
Gallery
Panoramic overview
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Views from different angles
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The castle complex as seen from the west
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A view of keeps and the lush castle grounds below
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Keeps as seen from the grounds below
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One of the steep, narrow walkways controlling access to the castle
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The keep as seen from within the Template:Nihongo
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Himeji Castle view from below in May 2017
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The castle rooftops and surrounding city
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A mythical tiger-headed fish called shachi (鯱). This motif was used atop the castle towers as a talisman for fire prevention.<ref name="dk2000" />
Views from the interior
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A hallway
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Castle windows
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Hallway with displays
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A hallway
Views with cherry blossoms
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Taken at Three Country Moats
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Sakura at Himeji Castle
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Taken at Himeji City Zoo
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Taken from the south
See also
- Kōko-en, garden joining the castle complex
- List of National Treasures of Japan (castles)
- List of reportedly haunted locations
- List of Special Places of Scenic Beauty, Special Historic Sites and Special Natural Monuments
- List of World Heritage Sites in Japan
- Tsuyama Castle and Matsuyama Castle (Iyo), also built in the hirayama (平山城 flat hilltop castle) style
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.
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
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External links
- Template:Official website
- Asian Historical Architecture – Himeji Castle
- Japanese Castle Explorer – Himeji Castle
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre – Himeji Castle
- Japan Atlas: Himeji Castle
- Video
- The White Fortress: Himeji-jo (UNESCO video on YouTube)
- Template:YouTube
- Discover the Himeji Castle in Japan
- Virtual tour of Himeji Castle examining its modern history on the Japan's Modern Castles YouTube channel
Template:World Heritage Sites in Japan Template:Authority control
- Pages with broken file links
- 1581 establishments in Japan
- Articles containing video clips
- 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 Hyōgo Prefecture
- 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