Who wouldn’t love to know about castles? The ancient histories of kings and queens, the great dynasties, the wars and the battles, the wins and losses of the great nations, all these are wonderful stories which lie beneath the great castles. From the small kids to the adults, castles always keep us alive and give us food for thought about the ancient histories and mysteries together at the same time. Japan is one of the few places where castles are a wonderful part of their country. Listed below are the 15 most amazing castles of Japan.
1. Himeji Castle
Declared as both a national treasure and a UNESCO world heritage site, this castle is considered as Japan’s most spectacular castle. This has never been destroyed by war, earthquakes or fires and still survives in its originality.
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2. Matsumoto Castle
This castle which is built on a plain rather than on a hill or mountain is one of the most beautiful and complete castles among original Japan castles.
Image Credit: Wikimedia
3. Bitchu-Matsuyama Castle
This is the oldest surviving castle in Japan which is also the only mountain top castle surviving of the original 12. This castle is at an elevation of 430 meters and it is also Japan’s highest.
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4. Matsue Castle (Matsue jo)
This is one of only the dozen of original castles in Japan to survive till today and its castle tower has survived the wars, fires and earthquakes together with the anti-feudal activities in the past.
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5. Hikone Castle
This is an original castle and was completed in 1622 after about a period of 20 years of construction. It was the seat of the feudal lords till 1862.
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6. Matsuyama Castle
This is one of the 12 original castles in Japan which has survived the post-feudal era and is one of the most complex and interesting castles of the country. It is located in Mount Katsuyama.
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7. Hirosaki Castle
This castle is located at the Hirosaki Park and was constructed in 1611 by the Tsugaru Clan. This is a three story castle with castle gates, corner turrets and fortified moats.
Image Credit: WIKIMEDIA
8. Inuyama Castle
This is one of the oldest original castles in Japan to survive till today and of course it has survived earthquakes, wars and natural disasters since the end of the feudal era in 1867.
Image Credit: WIKIMEDIA
9. Kochi Castle
One of the 12 original castles of Japan, it was constructed around 1601 -1611. But most of its parts were constructed around 1748 after the castle was destroyed by a fire.
Image Credit: TOURISM SHIKOKU
10. Marugame Castle
This is a hill top castle, situated high up on steep stone walls and this location supported it to take control over the main shipping lanes of the country during that reign.
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11. Uwajima Castle
This is also one of the only 12 original castles in Japan which survived through the Edo Period (1603-1867). It was built around the 17th century but refurbished again in 1615.
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12. Shuri Castle
Included in the list of UNESCO natural world heritage sites, this castle was named after the name of the former capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
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13. Osaka Castle (Osaka jo)
The construction of this castle started in 1583 and it was the largest castle at that time.
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14. Kumamoto Castle
This is considered as one of the most impressive castles of Japan as it manages to give the complete castle experience to the visitors. This castle was constructed in 1607 though very few details survived since that time of construction till today before reconstruction.
Image Credit: WIKIMEDIA
15. Tsuruga Castle
This castle was built in 1384 and was used by different rulers in the Aizu region before it was destroyed after the Boshin War which took place in 1868.
Image Credit: jref
As you can see, original or not, these castles are just amazing creations of human labor which beholds the proud histories and ancient stories of Japan’s long line of kingship. As much they are valuable pieces of history, they are amazingly breathtaking and still ranks at the top of tourist favorites of Japan.
15 Amazing Castles in Japan
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