In 1333 the first fort was built, the present castle itself was built in the middle of the 16th century when Shigetaka Kuroda and his son, Mototaka Kuroda ruled the district. In 1601 Terumasa Ikeda startes digging three moats around the castle. The outer moat is just north of the present train station. In it's present form the complex exists of the five storey donjon, the west bailey building, koshi-kuruwa (storehouse), harakiri-maru, okiku's well and lots of stone walls.

Himeji-jo has been a world heritage site since 1992

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Approx. 15-minute walk from the JR Himeji station or Sanyo Dentetsu Sanyo Himeji station.

Last edited on Nov 2, 09 2:23 AM.
Contributors: Eszter N. , Marjolijn D. , Marica M. Show History

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Marica M.

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Marjolijn D.

May 2, 2009

The best preserved and biggest castle in Japan definitely deserves a visit. It has everything you want from a medieval castle including a haunted well. Big grounds with a lot to see beside the Don Jon. Clear English explanations about the certain details found on plaques around the place. Good leaflet in different languages to be found at the entrance.

It is a very popular spot, the big crowd takes away a bit of the charms. Going up the Don Jon I felt a bit like cattle.

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Marica M.

Sep 23, 2008

Himeji-jo is the best-preserved example of 16th century Japanese castle architecture. It was built in 1580 by a lord called Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The castle consists of 83 buildings, and has a highly developed defense system.

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