Friday, May 6, 2016

15 Amazing Castles in Japan

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.


Japan's most spectacular castle


Japan's most spectacular castle


Image Credit: travelcie


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.


Original Japan castle


Original Japan castle


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.


Original Japan castle


Original Japan castle


Image Credit: diffworlds


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.


Matsue Castle


Matsue Castle


Image Credit: mochida


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.


Original Japan castle


Original Japan castle


Image Credit: Wikimedia


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.


original Japan castle


original Japan castle


Image Credit: blogspot


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.


Hirosaki park


Hirosaki park


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.


Original Japan castle


Original Japan castle


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.


Original Japan castle


Original Japan castle


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.


Hill top castle


Hill top castle


Image Credit: tqn


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.


Original Japan castle


Original Japan castle


Image Credit: Globe Images


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.


Ryukyu Kingdom


Ryukyu Kingdom


Image Credit: A Woman Reading


13. Osaka Castle (Osaka jo)


The construction of this castle started in 1583 and it was the largest castle at that time.


largest castle in 1583


largest castle in 1583


Image Credit: Photo Every Where


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.


Most impressive Japan castle


Most impressive Japan castle


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.


Boshin War


Boshin War


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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