HIMEJI CASTLE (HIMEJI-JO)         Located in the city of Himeji in Hyogo prefecture, Himeji Castle is widely held to be the finest surviving castle in Japan, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Sight.  Standing at the base of Himeji Castle, one can not help but be overwhelmed by the size, power, and beauty of the architecture. Himeji is most famous for the way its designers have blended function and decoration and has none of the cold sterility that we associate with European castles.  Walking through its corridors, visitors will be surprised by how homey it feels.  There are beautiful gardens, interesting little architectural touches like the beautiful roof tiles carved with the lords' of the castle's crests, and elegantly sloping roofs.  The way the main tower rises up elegantly from its surroundings has reminded many people of a white heron taking flight, giving the castle its original name, Shirasagi-Jo (Now all castles are known by the name of the city in which they are located).  Himeji-Jo was built, not just as a defensive structure, but to display the Daimyo's (feudal lord) wealth and power.        Another reason that Himeji-jo is considered to be the Japanese castle most-worth visiting is that it is the most complete.  No other castle has as many of its original moats, walls and towers.  Although the castle was partially re-constructed in the 1960's, great pains were taken to use only traditional construction methods and so Himeji-jo remains almost completely authentic.
	Himeji-jo was built in on Mt. Himeyama in 1346 by Norimura Akamatsu, but has been expanded and renovated many times, especially by Toyotomo Hideyoshi (one of the three great unifiers of Japan) during the Sengoku Jidai (Warring States Period) and by Tokugawa Ieyasu (the famous Shogun whose family ruled Japan for over 250 years) in 1601.  Amazingly, despite the tumultuous times in which it has existed, there has never been a battle at Himeji-Jo, accounting for the fact that it has survived intact into the present.         One of the most striking features of this castle is the white colour of its walls.  White plaster was used to cover them, not just because it was beautiful, but because it was fireproof, something that was very important for a castle built of wood.  Himeji-Jo is also famous for its Ishi-otoshi, or rock chutes, through which defenders could roll stones or pour boiling oil down on attackers, and the design of its arrow and rifle slits.         There is one main five-storied donjon (called Tenshukaku)  and three smaller ones.  The design of the castle is extremely complicated, and served as a maze to deter invaders.  The main donjon housed the castle's lord, and the smaller, surrounding ones housed storehouses, troops, servants and retainers.  The castle consists of three baileys (maru), or lines of defence.   The outmost line of defence at Himeji is the san-no-maru and is now a public park.   The ni-no-maru are the walls around the central keep, and the Hishi-no-mon which is the largest gate.  The hon-maru is the main keep itself and its walls.  It is built on a foundation of stones which were just piled up, rather than being held together with mortar.  This was to keep the foundation flexible in case of earthquake.
Stone Coffins used as building materials	One of the most interesting sections of Himeji-Jo is the Keshoyagura Turret.  It was where the women lived and is the first area that visitors enter.  In this area, you will learn the interesting story of Princess Sen (Senhime) and how she was married when she was only six years old to Toyotomi Hideyori, the son of the aforementioned Hideyoshi.  Toyotomi was defeated in battle and forced to commit suicide when Senhime was just 19.  After that, she lived through many intrigues, and and at one point was trapped in Osaka castle until a man named Lord Sakazaki risked his life to save her during a battle in which the castle caught fire, because her grandfather promised him that whoever saved her would be given her hand in marriage.  Despite the promise, she was eventually married to another man, Tadatoki Honda, which greatly angered Sakazaki, who for a while even planned to take her by force.  She went to live in Himeji-Jo, and Sakazaki committed suicide as penance.  You can still see the temple at which she was said to prey every morning and night, her room, which offers the best view of the castle, and the garden in which she enjoyed taking strolls every day.  Progressing through the castle, you will pass through a maze of walls and turrets, a garden, and past some very ordinary looking stones which actually have quite a morbid history.  Apparently, there were not enough rocks in the area to build the castle, so old stone coffins were used in the foundation's construction.
Old Muskets	Himeji-Jo has six gates, which are known as mizu-no-mon, or water gates, but no water actually flowed through them.  The name was symbolic, referring to the elemental idea that attacks were "fire" which destroyed "wood", the castles building material, but would be put out by "water", the troops and defences at the gates.          The most impressive part section of the castle is the main donjon where the Daimyo lived.  This five story structure contains displays of old weapons and armour, as well as utensils used in everyday life.   There is also a section describing how the castle was rebuilt using traditional construction methods, and displays of ancient artefacts unearthed during the process.   Be prepared to climb a lot of very steep stairs in the main tower.         On top of Himeji-Jo, you will notice several unusual sculptures that look like strange fish.  These are called Shachi, which means killer whale talismans, and were thought to prevent fires.

Outside the donjon, you can see the Hara-kiri maru, or Suicide Gate.  People were forced to commit ritual disembowelment there, and the nearby well was used for washing away the blood.  A few metres away is another morbid attraction, known as Okiku's well.  It was the sight of a famous ghost story known as Nanshu Sara-Yashiki, about a servant known as Okiku who overheard the chief retainer's plot to kill the lord and usurp his castle.  Okiku saved the lord by telling her lover, who was loyal to the lord and the plot was foiled.  The retainer got revenge by stealing one of ten important dishes belonging to the lord, who blamed it on Okiku and had her executed by throwing her in the well.  It was said that you can still hear her counting the dishes but she always stops at nine, and that screams came from the well until her former master was driven insane.  To read about this, and other Japanese ghost stories, visit:  http://www.i5ive.com/article.cfm/4817/29027

GETTING THERE:

Himeji Castle is located in the city of Himeji, about 50 kilometres west of Kobe.  If you are coming from Kobe, take the Himeji bound train (Himeji is the last stop).  It takes about an hour on the Shinkaisoku (Special Rapid Express) and 90 minutes on the local (both the same price).  The fare is about a thousand yen each way from Kobe.  The walking course through the castle takes an hour or two.

Himeji Related Links:

http://www.himeji-castle.gr.jp/ENGLISH/index.html--the official site
http://www.obershawonline.com/castle/index.html--exellent essay on Japanese castles, their history, and their architecture
http://www.angelfire.com/wy/svenskildbiter/shiro.html--another good essay on castles in general
http://www.geocities.com/castlejapan/--a comprehensive guide to individual castles, including Himeji

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