Castles

There are hundreds of castles scattered throughout Japan.Many of Japan's castles were built in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when the country seemed constantly in a state of vicious warfare,The typical castle consisted of multiple rings of defense, with the so called honmaru ("main circle") in the center followed by the ninomaru ("second circle") and sannomaru ("third circle").Castles in Japan have a very different exterior than those travelers have come to expect of other countries.

Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle is both as a national treasure and a world heritage site. Unlike many other Japanese castles, it was never destroyed by war, earthquake or fire and survives to this day as one of the country's twelve original castles.

Osaka Castle

The construction of Osaka Castle started in 1583 on the former site of the Ishiyama Honganji Temple, which had been destroyed by Oda Nobunaga thirteen years earlier.

Nijo Castle

Nijo Castle was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo Period (1603-1867).

Kumamoto Castle

Kumamoto Castle (熊本城, Kumamotojō) is one of the most impressive castles in Japan. With large castle grounds and a variety of buildings, Kumamoto Castle offers its visitors one of the most complete castle experiences in Japan.

Hirosaki Castle

Hirosaki Castle (弘前城) is located in Hirosaki Park, a spacious public park. It served as the base for the Tsugaru Clan, for whom wise choices in whose side to take in the major battles ending the violent Sengoku Period saw a minor clan make great advances in national rankings.

Nagoya Castle

Nagoya Castle was built in the beginning of the Edo Period as the seat of one of the three branches of the ruling Tokugawa family, the Owari branch.

Matsumoto Castle

Matsumoto Castle is one of only 12 remaining original castles in all of Japan and is the oldest five-tiered, six-story castle remaining. It is national treasure and was ruled by men under powerful samurai. Even to this day, traces of the city's samurai heritage remain.

Shuri Castle

The largest gusuku (castle) in Okinawa Prefecture, it is a famous masterpiece of Ryukyuan architecture.

Hiroshima Castle

Hiroshima Castle, also called the Carp Castle, is a good example of a castle built on a plain in the center of a city as opposed to hilltop and mountaintop castles.

Hikone Castle

Hikone Castle is a Japanese Edo-period castle in the city of Hikone, in Shiga Prefecture. It is considered the most significant historical building in Shiga. Hikone is one of only 12 Japanese castles with the original keep, and one of only five castles listed as a national treasure.