A White Egret standing in the Himeji Plain

Himeji Castle (National Treasure; UNESCO World Cultural Heritage) is a gracefully armed castle which has never been attacked.  It is one of the most beautiful and popular castles in Japan known for the white plastered earthen walls and six-story donjon as central keep.

The castle is nicknamed "Shirasagi-Jyo" meaning the White Egret Castle. This image would be similar to Neuschwanstein Castle of Germany which looks like a white swan. Since the Himeji Castle stands on a hill surrounded by a plain, it must have looked like an egret with its tall and white elegance in the paddies on the plain in the past.

The exterior of the donjon, or central keep, has 5 layers and there are 6 stories with the 1st floor being underground. A pair of shachi-gawara (grampus-shaped tile) decorates both sides of the top roof.  Dormer Gable and Chinese Gable are combined to express a stylish beauty of harmony. There are three small donjons, too.

It was reopened in April, 2015, after lengthy six years of renovations.  During the renovations, roof tiles were replaced, the outer walls were repainted, and earthquake resistance was reinforced.  Now it stands pristine white. 

Himeji Castle was originally built on the top of Himeyama Hill in 1346 by Akamatsu Sadanori as a fortification against local shoguns. Until it got nationalized in 1869 after Meiji Restoration, the lords in control of the castle changed several times.

In 1601, Ikeda Terumasa was handed control of Himeji Castle as a gift for his support for Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Sekigahara battle against the Toyotomis . He rebuilt the castle completely to its present day form. Several buildings were later added to the castle complex by Honda Tadamasa from 1617 to 1618.  The castle has kept its original form in nearly 400 years without damages not only by the domestic warfare but also the WWII.

During the peaceful Edo period, the castle was mainly a residence of the lord and a symbol of power. The most important castle's function, however, was warding off enemy attacks in case. The castle was protected by a formidable system of moats. Triple moats of inner, middle, and outer surrounded the castle in spiral.  Outer moat is not visible from the castle site.

Stone foundation walls and ramparts provided extra defense, some standing between enclosures and passageways, making enemy entry very difficult.  The walls have holes to shoot at the enemy from inside. Holes for muskets were round, rectangular, or polygonal.

The stone foundation walls rise steeply and the upper parts curve outward. This curving effect, called ogi-no-kobai (folding-fan slope), makes enemies very hard to climb up and also adds to the beauty.

The stone walls were built in the 'Random Style' according to the 16th century method. At the corners the larger square stones were piled on top of one another: this form of construction was called 'Trimmed Style'. To fill in crevices, natural stones from rivers were used.

This visit in June was my first visit to Himeji Castle after its reopen.  Instead of standing in a long line to go inside the castle, I strolled around along the inner moats seeing the castle from the different angles.  I'd like to return in autumn to walk under the tunnel of fiery maple leaves as well  as to go inside the castle.

Incidentally, Matsumoto Castle (National Treasure), Nagano, is another visually stunning castle in Japan. The keep, which was completed in the late 16th century, maintains the original wooden interiors and external stonework. It is known as "Karasu-Jyo", or Crow Castle for its striking black exterior. The black walls of the main keep and towers look like the spreading wings of a crow.