Walk to Himeji Castle – Himeji, Hyogo, Japan
Himeji Castle (姫路城) is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in the city of Himeji which is located in the Hyōgo Prefecture of 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.
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.
It 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.
Several buildings were later added to the castle complex by Honda Tadamasa from 1617 to 1618.
For almost 700 years, Himeji Castle has remained intact, even throughout the bombing of Himeji in World War II, and natural disasters including the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake.
Video Source: Most Spectacular Japanese Castle Himeji-Jo أجمل قلاع اليابان قلعة هيميجي from Al Yaban Bilarabi on Youtube ⁄ CC BY
