Himeji Castle

Originally Published on: Jul 11, 2008

On this day (March 16, 2008), we rode the train from Kyoto an hour south to Himeji Castle. It was a beautiful sunny day and we spent the afternoon visiting the castle, climbing centuries-old wooden stairs up six steep flights to the top. (This reminded me of climbing to the top of the Duomo in Florence....quite a challenge!) Visitors enter through the basement, and though it looks as if there are five levels from the exterior, there are actually 7 levels.The castle is built on a high bluff, the most spectacular of Japan's 12 remaining feudal castles. The origins of the castle began in 1333 with a fort. Some scholars say that the original castle was built in the mid-16th century. In 1601 three moats were dug around the castle, and the entire castle complex  was finished in 1609. Four hundred years later, it is still intact. Fortunately, it has escaped the ravages of war.

Himeji Castle is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is well-preserved and an excellent representation of all castles in Japan. The stone walls as well as the plaster walls have been well-maintained, and the traditional wooden structure is of particular interest and value. It's really difficult to convey in words the impressive stature and beauty of this castle, so I hope these photos will suffice.

(My thanks to the Eyewitness Travel Book on Japan for providing many of the details quoted in this article. I always depend on these books when planning my trips, as they provide wonderful photos along with detailed  historical and cultural insights.)

Our first view, walking from the train station.

A map of the complex.

Even though it was Sunday, we arrived early enough in the day to avoid the crowds that came later. But there were never great crowds of people like we experienced in the other places we visited.

A closer view.

This is part of the "Vanity Tower" where Princess Sen lived (1597-1667): this scene depicts playing a shell game. Most of the rooms in the castle were empty: we were allowed to walk through them and view the outside landscape from the windows.

We were amused to see this couple had brought their pets along, and carried them throughout the castle!

A nice view of the gables.

Along the outside. The fan walls were notable not only for their attractive shape, but because they were difficult for enemies to climb.

A view of the courtyard.

Before entering the castle, we had to take off our shoes, replace them with plastic slippers, and carry our shoes along in a plastic bag. This shows people where we deposited the borrowed slippers and plastic bags as we left the castle. Very orderly!

Inside: some of the stairs were quite steep!

Harakiri-maru

Outside the castle, we arrived at the "Harakiri-maru" or suicide quarter. Though this was built as a place where ritual suicide could be committed, it was most likely used only for its water supply.

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Some perspective on the size of the castle.

A scene at the nearby Koko-en Garden.

After our lengthy tour of the castle, we did some shopping, then bought some food and ate outside the train station: sushi for me, curry for Jesse. We rode the Shinkansen back to Tokyo, a 4-hour ride.