By the late 15th century ( Sengoku period ) , the Japanese castles evolved from wooden fortresses that guard strategic locations such as ports, river crossings, or crossroads to imposing size homes with elegant design for local feudal lords and their family .
Today there are more than one hundred castles extant, or partially extant, in Japan; and in this article we brought you the list of the most beautiful castles in Japan , that you surely must add to your to go list if you are planning to visit japan .
Himeji Castle - 姫路城
Himeji Castle or White Egret Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle complex that was first built as a fortress by The samurai warrior Akamatsu Norimura in 1333, and significantly remodeled over the course of the past several centuries.
The Himeji 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. and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Location : Himeji, in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.
Kumamoto Castle - 熊本城
Kumamoto Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle located in Kumamoto Prefecture. It was a large and well fortified castle. it's history dates to 1467, when Ideta Hidenobu established it's fortifications for the first. In 1496 they were expanded by Kanokogi Chikakazu. From 1601 to 1607, Kiyomasa greatly expanded the castle, transforming it into a castle complex with 49 turrets, 18 turret gates, and 29 smaller gates.
- Location : Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.
Matsumoto Castle - 松本城
Matsumoto Castle known also as the Crow Castle (due to its black exterior) is one of Japan's premier historic castles, along with Himeji and Kumamoto castles, and was listed as a National Treasure of Japan. the castle is located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture and it's origins go back to the Sengoku period.
- Location : Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Osaka Castle - 大坂城 or 大阪城
Located in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. This castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and it played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century. At the time, it was the largest castle in Japan.
- Location : Chūō-ku, In Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Kanazawa Castle - 金沢城
The Casle is located adjacent to the celebrated Kenroku-en Garden, which once formed the castle's private outer garden. It was the headquarters of Kaga Domain, ruled by the Maeda clan for 14 generations from the Sengoku period until the coming of the Meiji Restoration in 1871.
- Location : Kanazawa, In Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
Hiroshima Castle - 広島城
Hiroshima Castle sometimes called Carp Castle, was the home of the daimyō (feudal lord) of the Hiroshima han (fief). The castle was originally constructed in the 1590s, but was destroyed by the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945. The castle was rebuilt in 1958, a replica of the original that now serves as a museum of Hiroshima's history before World War II.
- Location :Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.
Okayama Castle - 岡山城
Okayama Castle is a Japanese castle in the city of Okayama in Okayama Prefecture in Japan. The main tower was completed in 1597, destroyed in 1945 and replicated in concrete in 1966. Two of the watch towers survived the bombing of 1945 and are now listed by the national Agency for Cultural Affairs as Important Cultural Properties.
- Location :Okayama in Okayama Prefecture, Japan.
Nijō Castle - 二条城
The construction of the Nijō Castle dates to 1601, when Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, ordered all the feudal lords in western Japan to contribute to it's construction. The Nijō Castle is now one of the seventeen Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto which have been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
- Location :Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.
Nagoya Castle - 名古屋城
The Castle was constructed by the Owari Domain in 1620 during the Edo period on the site of an earlier castle of the Oda clan in the Sengoku period. Nagoya Castle was the heart of one of the most important castle towns in Japan and the core of the modern Nagoya .
- Location :Nagoya, Japan.
If you liked This This Article , you may also like to read About Must Visit Historical Sites in Tokyo !
0 Comments