The Himeji Castles

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Recommended: Significant aspects of Himeji Castle

The Himeji Castle, also known as ‘Himeji-jo’, is believed to be the finest surviving example of Japanese castle architecture in early 17th century. With the comparison to the 12 castles survive intact from the samurai age of Japan, the Himeji Castle is the largest and the best preserved among these castles.(J) Being one of the earliest sites of Japan that inscribed in the List of World Heritage Sites of UNESCO, it ought to contain significant features in the point of view of cultural heritage. The significance of the Himeji Castle deserves appreciation, for both its robust structure of the complex and the beauty of the architecture. In certain way it is astonishing that the castle is still surviving today, after the long history of Japan. The Himeji Castle witnessed the development of Japan, from the first set up of hill fortification in 1333, …show more content…

It was named as the best-preserved samurai stronghold in Japan,(J) indicates its importance to the culture of samurai, in medieval and early modern Japan. Looking into the structural feature of the Himeji Castle, the internal structure of the castle was designed with defensive function in mind. The arrangement of a maze-like network of storehouses and residences may throw the attackers into confusion. With the development of tourism in the present time, signboards are provided in the Himeji Castle to point the direction for the tourists. Still, some tourist may feel baffled by the layout of this carefully designed network.(J) The Himeji Castle had been occupied by several shogun during the Sengoku Period, including one of the early unifiers, Toyomomi Hideyoshi. Toyotomi Hideyoshi remodeled the castle in 1581, and he completed the military unification of Japan in 1590.(H3) The Himeji Castle represents the evidence of the influence of samurai, and how the samurai is significance in the Japanese

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