Himeji Castle

The castle, the largest of its kind in Japan, has eight buildings designated as National Treasures, including the castle tower, and 74 other buildings designated as Important Cultural Properties. It was also registered as a World Cultural Heritage in 1993. The castle is characterized by its linked towers and beautiful white plaster exterior walls, and is a valuable source of information on castles in Japan.

Himeji Castle is located in Himeji City, Japan. The castle’s main buildings, including the castle tower and turrets, built in the early Edo period, are still in existence. These buildings are designated as National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, and the main part of the castle, including the inner part of the central moat, is designated as a Special Historic Site of Japan as “Himeji Castle Site. Furthermore, it is on UNESCO’s World Heritage (Cultural Heritage) list and has been selected as one of the 100 best castles in Japan. Himeji Castle is also known as “Shirasagijo Castle.

Himeji-jo is a flat mountain castle built around Himeyama (Mt. Himeji) and Sagisan (Mt. Sagisan) in the northern part of present-day Himeji City, and is a typical example of early modern castle construction. The castle tower was built before the Edo period (1603-1867), and 12 keepers remain in existence today. Most of the castle is designated as a Special Historic Site, and buildings such as the main keep, the minor keep, and the ferry tower are designated as National Treasures.

In addition, a total of 74 buildings, including 27 turrets and watchtowers, 15 gates, and 32 walls, are designated as Important Cultural Properties. 1993 saw the castle inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Himeji Castle is also counted as one of the “Five National Treasures,” the “Three Famous Castles,” and the “Three Great Hirayama Castles and Three Great Consecutive Hirayama Castles.

The beginning of Himeji Castle is said to have been built by Sadanori Akamatsu in 1346. However, there is a theory that the castle at that time was a small fortress or pavilion, and that it was built as a full-scale castle by Shigetaka Kuroda and his son Tomotaka, who were vassals of the Kodera clan in the late Sengoku period.

From the late Sengoku Period to the Azuchi-Momoyama Period, the Kuroda and Hashiba clans became castle lords, and Himeji Castle was expanded as an important castle located at a strategic point of transportation on the Sanyo Road. Especially after the Battle of Sekigahara, Ikeda Terumasa became the lord of the castle, and the castle was further developed into the large-scale fortress seen today.

During the Edo period (1603-1867), the castle became the seat of the Himeji clan, and the Saigoku Saganbaku (governor of the western part of the country) was established. The lord of the castle changed frequently, and from the Ikeda clan, the Honda, Sakakibara, and Sakai clans took over as lord of the castle. A total of 31 castle lords served for approximately 270 years.

In the early Meiji period (1868-1912), the castle came under the control of the Ministry of War, but was later sold to the private sector. At one time it was sold at auction, but was later returned to state ownership. Himeji Castle was used as army barracks, and restoration work was carried out.

In the Taisho era (1912-1926), the castle was sold to Himeji City free of charge, and Himeji Castle was opened to the public. During the Pacific War, Himeji Castle was bombed, but fortunately the castle tower was not destroyed by fire and can still be seen today.

Today, the surrounding area has been developed around Himeji Park, which is used to hold festivals and events and as a place for tourists to relax. It is also sometimes used as a filming location for movies and TV dramas. Himeji Castle is the center of tourism and culture in Himeji City.

Origin of the Name and Alias

Himeyama,” where the Himeji Castle keep is located, was once called “Himeji Hill. The name “Hinemichi Hill” is also found in ancient documents. Himeyama was also called “Sakuramoku-yama” (cherry tree mountain) because of the many cherry trees that grew there, and furthermore, “Sagiyama” (heron mountain). In some places, the hill where the castle tower is located is called Himeyama, and the hill where the Nishinomaru castle is located is called Sagiyama.

The following four theories are cited in “The Story of Himeji Castle” by Masaji Hashimoto as to the origin of the alias “Shirasagi-jo” (White Egret Castle).

Himeji Castle is located on “Sagiyama” (heron hill).
From the beauty of the castle walls painted with white plaster.
Because of the abundance of birds called “Shirasagi” (white egrets) that inhabit the castle.
Because it is sometimes called “Karasu Castle” or “Golden Karasu Castle” in contrast to the black walls of Okayama Castle.

Shirasagijo” is sometimes read as “Hakurojo” or “Shirasagijo.

History

Nanbokucho Period and Sengoku Period

In 1333, during the Motohiro Rebellion, Norimura Akamatsu raised an army under the order of Prince Moriyoshi, the patron of Harima Province, and established a stronghold at Shomyoji Temple on Himeyama. Norimura was on his way to Kyoto and ordered Kodera Yoriki to guard the castle. In 1346, Akamatsu Sadanori, Norimura’s second son, moved Shomyoji Temple to the foot of the castle and built Himeyama Castle on Himeyama, and in 1349, Sadanori built a new castle on Shoyama and moved his headquarters there. Since then, the Kodera clan served as the castle’s representative for generations.

In 1441 (the first year of Kayoshi), Akamatsu Mitsusuke and his son, Noriyasu, started the Kayoshi Rebellion, and an army was organized by Yamana Munetada and others to defeat the rebels. The Akamatsu father and son committed suicide at Shiroyama Castle, and the Akamatsu clan was cut off. The castle’s lord, Kodera Tomoharu, also died in battle. In 1458, Masanori Akamatsu (grandson of Mitsuhiroku’s younger brother) was allowed to reestablish the Akamatsu clan, and in 1467, after the Onin War, Masanori, who had supported Katsumoto Hosokawa against the Yamana clan, retook the Harima province, He built the Honmaru, Tsurumimaru, and Kameiimaru in Himeji Castle.

In 1469, Norimura built Okishio Castle to defend against the Yamana, who had established a stronghold in the neighboring Tajima province, and Toyotomi Kodera became the castle’s representative. 1491 (Entoku 3), Toyotomi’s son Masataka became the castle’s representative and began construction of Mitsukoro Castle. 1519 (Eisho 16), Masataka moved his headquarters to Mitsukoro Castle, and Noritaka became the representative. Noritaka became the castle’s representative.

In 1545, Noritaka moved to Mitsukoro and entrusted the castle to his vassal, Kuroda Shigetaka. Kuroda Shigetaka and his son, Noritaka, with the permission of Kodera Masataka (Noritaka’s son), expanded the castle into a medieval castle as a branch of Mitsukoro Castle. Some historical documents confirm that a castle existed in Himeji (Himeyama) during this period. Shokutaka built a 100-meter long house and used it as a place to receive poor people, low-ranking samurai, craftsmen, peddlers, and others.

In 1567, Takataka, a son of Tomotaka, became the castle’s representative, and in 1568, at the Battle of Aoyama and Dochiyama, the Kuroda forces (father and son of Tomotaka and Takataka) defeated the Akamatsu forces of about 3,000 men with a small force of about 300 men, who marched from Himeji Castle and defeated the Akamatsu forces. Thereafter, Takataka served as the castle’s representative until 1573 (Tensho 1).

Azuchi-Momoyama Period

In 1576, Hideyoshi Hashiba, under the orders of Nobunaga Oda, entered Harima. At this time, there was a fierce conflict in Harima between the Oda faction and a faction relying on the Mori clan. In the end, the Oda faction won the battle, and the Kodera clan, which had followed the Mori clan, fell. However, Kuroda Takataka, a vassal of the Kodera clan, had established a relationship with Hideyoshi from early on and went on to serve him.

In 1580, Hideyoshi defeated Miki Castle, Eiga Castle, and other castles to conquer Harima. Takataka advised Hideyoshi to make Himeji Castle his headquarters and presented it to him. Takataka himself moved to Kokufuyama Castle. Hideyoshi renovated Himeji Castle and built it as a modern castle surrounded by stone walls. The castle town was also improved on a large scale, making Himeji the center of Harima Province.

In 1600, Ikeda Terumasa entered Himeji Castle for his distinguished service in the Battle of Sekigahara. Terumasa undertook major renovations to build a vast castle around Himeyama, but the work was never fully completed. Akashi Castle, Ako Castle, Miki Castle, Toshigami Castle, Tatsuno Castle, and Takasago Castle were also built as branch castles of Himeji Castle.

Edo Period

In 1617, Mitsumasa, who succeeded to the Ikeda clan, was transferred to the Tottori domain in Inaba Province because he was too young to be entrusted with important places along the Sanyo Road. Later, Honda Tadamasa from the Kuwana domain in Ise Province entered Himeji Castle with 150,000 koku. Tadamasa renovated the Imosegawa River running west of the castle into a boat canal to Shikamatsu and renamed it the Senba River, and in 1618 (Genna 4), when Sen Hime married Honda Tadatoki, the Nishinomaru was built and the entire Himeji Castle was almost completed.

The population of the warrior class in the castle was as follows During the Ikeda clan period (around 1603), there were approximately 500 middle-ranked samurai of 300 koku or more. During the Honda clan period (1617-1639), there were more than 700 vassals of Tadamasa and 500 vassals of Tadatoki, and about 4,000 people including foot soldiers and small samurai. During the Sakakibara clan period (1649-1667, 1704-1741), there were about 3,000 vassals and footmen. During the Sakai clan period (1749-1871), there were about 2,200 vassals and foot soldiers.

In 1749 (Kan’en 2), the Sakai clan from Maebashi Castle in Ueno Province came into the domain, and the clan was finally stabilized. The clan finally stabilized. However, Himeji Castle was a heavy burden for the Himeji Domain, which had 150,000 koku in stone, and the responsibility of holding important positions in the shogunate under the shogunate’s rule put pressure on the domain’s economy.

During the closing days of the Tokugawa shogunate, the lord of Himeji Castle, Tadachicho Sakai, served the shogunate as an old lieutenant and worked together with the 15th shogun, Yoshinobu Tokugawa. As a result, the Himeji Clan was also regarded as a dynastic enemy, and Himeji Castle was besieged by 1,500 soldiers of the new government forces, mainly from the Okayama and Tatsuno clans. Soldiers were stationed at each gate of the castle. At this time, troops from the Okayama Clan led by Ikeda Shigemasa, a descendant of Terumasa, fired several warning shots at Himeji Castle with a cannon set up on Keifukuji Mountain. Some of these shots were mixed with live ammunition, and one hit the Fukuchu Gate southwest of the castle. Tensions between the two sides increased, and a general attack by the new government forces on Himeji Castle seemed inevitable, but Sadatada Kitakaze Soemon, a wealthy merchant from Hyogo-tsu, Settsu Province, offered 150,000 ryo of his own money to the new government forces to stop the attack. During this time, the feudal lords’ retainers, who had been in charge of the feudal lord’s absence, finally decided to open the castle and surrendered it, submitting to the new government. In this way, the siege over Himeji Castle was averted.

The Honmaru

The castle tower of Himeji Castle is a series of buildings consisting of the castle tower and the Bizen-maru. The Bizen-maru is located to the south of the keep and was once used as a palace and a meeting place, but was destroyed by fire during the Meiji period (1868-1912).

The castle keep of Himeji Castle still retains its Edo period appearance, and is the largest of the 12 existing keep buildings, making it a symbol of Himeji. The tower group of Himeji Castle is built on top of Himeyama, and the total height of the castle tower is 92 meters above sea level, as the stone walls are 14.85 meters high and the buildings are 31.5 meters high. The total weight of the keep is currently about 5,700 tons, but it is said that it once weighed about 6,200 tons. However, during major repairs in the Showa period (1926-1989), past repair materials were removed and the weight was reduced, resulting in the current weight. There used to be exhibits related to Himeji Castle inside the keep, but after the Heisei era renovation, the exhibits were moved to the Nishinomaru area and the interior of the keep is now empty.

The first keep of Himeji Castle was built by Hideyoshi Hashiba in 1580, but was later dismantled by Terumasa Ikeda, and the materials were reused for the dry small keep.

The second keep was built by Ikeda Terumasa, and is a “linked keep” consisting of a main keep with five stories and six floors (seven floors in total) and three smaller keeps (east small keep, west small keep, and dry small keep). All of the towers are of the double-layered “irimoya” style, and are sometimes categorized as late watchtower type. The walls are made of white plaster and are covered with large wooden plaster walls, not only for fire prevention and fireproofing, but also for aesthetics. The orikawari turret is decorated with braided latticework.

Main keep

On the exterior, the walls except for the uppermost part are painted with large wall paints, and the windows are lattice-framed. The roof has a variety of styles, including a huge irimoya gable spanning multiple floors, a curved karagafu gable, and a mountainous staggered gable.

The interior structure is designed to distribute the load by gradually diminishing the floor and roof of each floor. The central pillar of the main keep runs from the basement to the sixth floor and is made of wood with a diameter of 95 cm and a height of 24.6 meters. The interior is furnished with warrior runners and armory hangers, and each floor has its own distinctive layout.

The basement contains an anagura, a space for washing, a kitchen, and a washroom, and each floor from the first to the sixth floor has a series of structures such as the a- and ni-no-watariyagura, and the third and fourth floors have special rooms and irimoya gable roofs. On the top floor, the sixth floor, there is a design incorporating elements of the shoin-zukuri style, and a branch of the Nagakabe Shrine.

The interior space of Himeji Castle, which combines various elements, can be enjoyed through the display of Chinese poems composed by Sanyo Rai.