Caption of the castle
History of Himeji Castle
- Himeji Castle began in 1333 when Akamatsu Norimura,guardian of Harima Province, raised an army,following Imperial Prince Morinaga's order to subjugate the Hojo Family and built the fortress.
- In 1346, a small Himeji castle was built on Mount Himeyama by Akamatsu Sadanori (The second son of Norimura) as a fortification against local shoguns.
- In 1581, The castle was significantly remodeled by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After the emperor, Nobunaga Oda, took control of the Harima district, he placed Hideyoshi in control of the castle, who converted the fortified building into a castle with over 30 turrets.
- 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.
- From 1617 to 1618, Many structures were later added to the castle complex by Honda Tadamasa.
- For over 400 years, Himeji Castle has stayed intact, even throughout the extensive bombing of Himeji in World War II, and natural disasters.
Himeji Castle drawing plan
Geography
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In 1993,the Japanese historical Samurai medieval fortress, Himeji Castle, has registered as one of the world’s culture and architectural legacy site. The site is located in the heart of Himeji city, approximately fifty kilometers on on the west of Kobe city. Traveling by Shinkansen, Japanese Railway bullet train, 16 minutes from Shin-Kobe station. The castle is the most stunning sample of all Japanese historical castles. It is one of the finest surviving examples of the defensive structures built in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The attractiveness of its maintenance is unrivalled throughout Japan and the extent of maintaining is amazing.
Heritage Art
Sunset at Himeji Castle
Himeji Castle is also called by the familiar names of either Hakuro-jo or Shirasagi-jo, meaning "white heron" in Japanese. There are many reasons why it’s called white heron. One of the facts implicates with how the white plastered walls of the main donjon and 3 small donjons are linked to elevate 'yagura' (tower) hallways making a picture of a white heron with its wings spread out to fly. Its construction is a high level architectural techniques spanning from the Azuchi-Momoyama period to the early stages of the Edo period, around 1600s to 1700s. Many valuable items are kept in Himeji Castle, a setting for such well-known stories as Sen-hime, Tokugawa Ieyasu’s niece, Miyamoto Musashi's suppression of a beast, and the ghost Okiku's well from the story of Banshu Dish Mansion. In 1993, the castle was registered as Japan's first UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site because of its gorgeous architectural design.
How does the castle reflect cultural aspects of samurai warrior life?
Samurai Warrior & Golden Leaf Painting Background
Japanese historical castles are often wasteful adorned. Their private and public zones are filled with fabulous drawings. Concealed with lavis aurous petal backgrounds were made to help brighten up otherwise dim interiors, also to impress guests. Various castles got areas arrange aside for a special dining room, utilized by Samurai warriors of the Chado or Chanoyu, the “Way of Tea”. It also has a platform for dance performances, so that the warriors could relax and enjoy those entertainments.