Still standing🏰 FortificationMiddle Ages & early modern
Himeji Castle
Himeji is an exceptionally well-preserved example of Japanese castle construction during the transition to the Edo period. It combines military planning with refined timber construction and a distinctive composition in the landscape.
Photo: Nikos Kitsakis · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Facts
- Place
- Himeji, Japan
- Civilisation / patron
- Japanese warlords, especially the Ikeda family
- Built
- 1601 – 1609
- Status
- Still standing
- UNESCO World Heritage since
- 1993
- UNESCO World Heritage
History
At the site of an older fortress, Ikeda Terumasa built a large castle complex in the early seventeenth century. White plaster walls, tall stone foundations and layered roofs give it the nickname ‘White Heron’. Gates, narrow passages and several defensive rings protected the central keep. The complex has largely survived war and natural disasters and was restored using traditional techniques.
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Sources: Wikipedia — Kasteel Himeji