Sometimes, when I'm looking at old monuments, I try to imagine what sort of impression they might have left on people during their "heyday." Usually that's a somewhat difficult prospect, because the building in question has either been sufficiently integrated into its new (in comparison) surroundings that I can't imagine it out of them or it's in a state of such disrepair that I couldn't imagine it in any former grandeur whatsoever (the one exception to this is, perhaps, the Forum).
Himeji Castle, in Hyogo Prefecture, is so well-preserved and such an imposing structure that, even in the midst of a decently large city, it's easy to imagine the impact it must have had on the surrounding area during the 1600s when it assumed its final, expanded form.
Even before the bullet train finished pulling into the station, you could see Himeji Castle rearing out of the distance and towering above the apartment buildings. Without any mountains immediately surrounding the city, the castle is the tallest thing for miles around. It was easy to imagine the force its presence must have had for centuries on the people around it. No wonder it is nicknamed the "White Heron" for its white walls and sprawling structure, like a bird in flight.
Himeji Castle is a terrifyingly large structure--not only is it the largest castle in Japan, but other than its foundation it's completely made of wood.
This is a scale model of the castle that shows all the different wooden pillars that make up the main keep. There's two main pillars--the East Pillar and the West Pillar--that run from the ground floor through to the top. You might wonder why the Japanese didn't build in stone. There are several reasons/theories: one is that wood is more resistant to earthquakes; another is that it allowed for buildings to be constructed in such a way that you could easily dismantle and reassemble them, or simply replace individual pieces (and for a long time Japan had an abundance of soft, easily workable cyprus trees that made this style of architecture feasible, though later Edo Period Japan would run into massive deforestation issues). Furthermore, Japanese stone is fairly soft and porous which, as you might expect, isn't great for building.
The castle has, of course, a bunch of ingenious defensive systems.
You can see a series of rectangular, triangular, or circular windows in the walls. These were for guards to use for guns or bows and arrows. The rectangles were for arrows and the triangle/circle windows were for guns.
There were also rock drops. From the inside of the castle there are flaps just next to the windowsill you can lift up and then drop projectiles onto your hapless victims below.
The interior was no less invasion-ready, with walls and walls of weapons racks,
double-bolted doors,
and terrifyingly steep stairs that would make it near impossible for an invading army to swiftly ascend up the castle's six floors.
The castle, although practical, was also just a lovely piece of architecture, with many unique details.
On the sixth, and top, floor, the woodworkers, when they carved out knots in the wood, filled them in with shapes like hearts, swirls, and even a small star tucked away in one back corner.
If you are ever near Hyogo Prefecture, I highly recommend stopping by Himeji for one of the most authentic looks at architecture and life in feudal era Japan.
Himeji Castle, in Hyogo Prefecture, is so well-preserved and such an imposing structure that, even in the midst of a decently large city, it's easy to imagine the impact it must have had on the surrounding area during the 1600s when it assumed its final, expanded form.
Even before the bullet train finished pulling into the station, you could see Himeji Castle rearing out of the distance and towering above the apartment buildings. Without any mountains immediately surrounding the city, the castle is the tallest thing for miles around. It was easy to imagine the force its presence must have had for centuries on the people around it. No wonder it is nicknamed the "White Heron" for its white walls and sprawling structure, like a bird in flight.
Himeji Castle is a terrifyingly large structure--not only is it the largest castle in Japan, but other than its foundation it's completely made of wood.
This is a scale model of the castle that shows all the different wooden pillars that make up the main keep. There's two main pillars--the East Pillar and the West Pillar--that run from the ground floor through to the top. You might wonder why the Japanese didn't build in stone. There are several reasons/theories: one is that wood is more resistant to earthquakes; another is that it allowed for buildings to be constructed in such a way that you could easily dismantle and reassemble them, or simply replace individual pieces (and for a long time Japan had an abundance of soft, easily workable cyprus trees that made this style of architecture feasible, though later Edo Period Japan would run into massive deforestation issues). Furthermore, Japanese stone is fairly soft and porous which, as you might expect, isn't great for building.
The castle has, of course, a bunch of ingenious defensive systems.
You can see a series of rectangular, triangular, or circular windows in the walls. These were for guards to use for guns or bows and arrows. The rectangles were for arrows and the triangle/circle windows were for guns.
There were also rock drops. From the inside of the castle there are flaps just next to the windowsill you can lift up and then drop projectiles onto your hapless victims below.
The interior was no less invasion-ready, with walls and walls of weapons racks,
and terrifyingly steep stairs that would make it near impossible for an invading army to swiftly ascend up the castle's six floors.
On the sixth, and top, floor, the woodworkers, when they carved out knots in the wood, filled them in with shapes like hearts, swirls, and even a small star tucked away in one back corner.
If you are ever near Hyogo Prefecture, I highly recommend stopping by Himeji for one of the most authentic looks at architecture and life in feudal era Japan.
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