Back to the Shogunate period, Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle, as it's name implies, is located at the city of Himeji around 1 hour away from Osaka. It is the largest and most visited castle in Japan and is registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1993. It is also regarded as the finest surviving castle with the prototype of Japanese castle architecture. The construction of the castle begin in 1333 by Akamatsu Norimura, and significantly refurbished and remodeled by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After the Tokogawa clan overthrows Hideyoshi, Tokogawa Ieyasu awarded this castle to Ikeda Terumasa, one of his Daimyo ally, for his help in one of his battle. Throughout many years after numerous wars, battles, Meiji Restoration and WW2 bombings, the castle remained intact and little damage was done to the castle. Till date, along with Matsumoto Castle and Kumamoto Castle, it is considered one of the Japan's three premier castle due to it's near complete characteristics of ideal Japanese castle. #tripblazers #celebratewithtrip