Background
Himeji Castle, commonly known in Japan as “white heron”, is the most visited castle in Japan. It was given the nickname because “the white plastered walls of the main donjon and the 3 smaller donjons connected to elevated turret corridors create an image of a white heron with its wings spread out, ready to take flight” (World Cultural Heritage Site). It was constructed in 1347 by Akamatsu Sadanori. Its main purpose was to be protection against other daimyo. Although, when Nobunaga Oda took control of Japan, he gave control of the castle to Hideyoshi to fortify and turn it into the structure it is today with over 30 turrets, an extravagant maze and other amazing features. In 1601, Ikeda Terumasa was given the castle as a gift for supporting the Tokugawa shogun in a battle. He planned to do construction to remodel it after the emperor’s castle in Azuchi. The construction lasted for nine years which can also be said as 25,000,000 man days. Man days were the measurement of how much work one man could do in a day. Unfortunately, as part of the remodeling, they demolished the original keep but they added a new tenshu and a few moats. The keep was the largest tower, and it usually the first characteristic on the castle that was noticed as it could be seen from a great distance away. Fortunately for Terumasa, the castle allowed him to dominate over his districts which included Harima, Bizen, and Awaji. His districts were all supporters of the Tokugawa clan. After the Terumasa family, the Honda, Okudaira, Matsudaira, Sakakibara, and Sakai families held control of the castle. Himeji Castle was never used in war, which is how it retained its present shape for over three hundred years. In 1931, it was declared a national treasure and “restoration work began in 1956 and was completed in 1964. In 1993 it was put on the list of UNESCO World Cultural and Heritage Sites” (History). It became an extremely popular tourist destination for those who visited Japan.
Architecture
The castle has many different styles in it, and it had many features which make it unique. It has 21 gates and labyrinthine walkways that turn back on themselves to protect the keep and to confuse their enemy. The maze is made from different walls, gates and baileys. The castle itself uses two different styles: chidori hafu and kara hafu. Chidori hafu was triangular, while kara hafu was curved with “the apex flowing into the line provided by the cornice” (World Architecture. Walls at the castle were to be repaired every five years and the villagers had to bring their own materials. They had to bring “five large posts, 15 small posts, ten bamboo poles, ten bundles of bamboo, 30 coils of rope, and 20 bundles of reed” (World Architecture).
Himeji Castle, commonly known in Japan as “white heron”, is the most visited castle in Japan. It was given the nickname because “the white plastered walls of the main donjon and the 3 smaller donjons connected to elevated turret corridors create an image of a white heron with its wings spread out, ready to take flight” (World Cultural Heritage Site). It was constructed in 1347 by Akamatsu Sadanori. Its main purpose was to be protection against other daimyo. Although, when Nobunaga Oda took control of Japan, he gave control of the castle to Hideyoshi to fortify and turn it into the structure it is today with over 30 turrets, an extravagant maze and other amazing features. In 1601, Ikeda Terumasa was given the castle as a gift for supporting the Tokugawa shogun in a battle. He planned to do construction to remodel it after the emperor’s castle in Azuchi. The construction lasted for nine years which can also be said as 25,000,000 man days. Man days were the measurement of how much work one man could do in a day. Unfortunately, as part of the remodeling, they demolished the original keep but they added a new tenshu and a few moats. The keep was the largest tower, and it usually the first characteristic on the castle that was noticed as it could be seen from a great distance away. Fortunately for Terumasa, the castle allowed him to dominate over his districts which included Harima, Bizen, and Awaji. His districts were all supporters of the Tokugawa clan. After the Terumasa family, the Honda, Okudaira, Matsudaira, Sakakibara, and Sakai families held control of the castle. Himeji Castle was never used in war, which is how it retained its present shape for over three hundred years. In 1931, it was declared a national treasure and “restoration work began in 1956 and was completed in 1964. In 1993 it was put on the list of UNESCO World Cultural and Heritage Sites” (History). It became an extremely popular tourist destination for those who visited Japan.
Architecture
The castle has many different styles in it, and it had many features which make it unique. It has 21 gates and labyrinthine walkways that turn back on themselves to protect the keep and to confuse their enemy. The maze is made from different walls, gates and baileys. The castle itself uses two different styles: chidori hafu and kara hafu. Chidori hafu was triangular, while kara hafu was curved with “the apex flowing into the line provided by the cornice” (World Architecture. Walls at the castle were to be repaired every five years and the villagers had to bring their own materials. They had to bring “five large posts, 15 small posts, ten bamboo poles, ten bundles of bamboo, 30 coils of rope, and 20 bundles of reed” (World Architecture).