By Ines Keane
A building can look like a bird. Japan’s government magazine Highlighting Japan says Himeji earned the nickname White Heron Castle because it resembles a heron spreading its wings. Wikipedia gives the Japanese names Hakuro-jo and Shirasagi-jo.
What it is
Wikipedia says the main keep is 46.4 metres high and holds six floors and a basement, although from outside it appears to have five storeys. It says the plaster on the walls is white for its resistance to fire. Highlighting Japan says the white plaster covers all the external surfaces. Wikipedia counts 83 buildings in the complex, with advanced feudal defences.
The long building history
Wikipedia gives a chain of dates. A fortification was built in 1333 by Akamatsu Norimura. It was rebuilt in 1346 as Himeyama Castle. The Kuroda clan remodelled it into Himeji Castle in 1561. In 1581 Toyotomi Hideyoshi added a three-storey keep. Between 1601 and 1609 Ikeda Terumasa rebuilt and enlarged the whole complex, and in 1617 and 1618 Honda Tadamasa added more structures. Highlighting Japan agrees that Ikeda Terumasa built most of the structures between 1601 and 1609, and says the Nishinomaru Garden was built in 1618 by Honda Tadamasa. We have not checked these dates against a third source.
Defence by design
Highlighting Japan describes a labyrinthine interior, peepholes cut into the turrets and plaster walls, embrasures and small gates that look like secret passages. We have not checked which of these features visitors can see today.
World Heritage
Wikipedia says Himeji Castle was inscribed by UNESCO on 11 December 1993, as one of the first sites in Japan to be listed. Highlighting Japan also dates the listing to 1993.
The two counts of treasures
The sources disagree on how many structures hold national status. Wikipedia says five carry National Treasure designation. Highlighting Japan says the castle contains eight structures designated National Treasures and seventy-four Important Cultural Properties. We show both and have not worked out which count is current or whether they count different things.
War and earthquake
Wikipedia says the castle survived the bombing of the Second World War and the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake. Highlighting Japan says it never experienced battle damage or destruction in the Second World War. These two accounts differ in tone, and we use Wikipedia’s wording only as a general statement that the castle survived.
The restoration
Highlighting Japan says the Himeji Castle Tower Preservation and Restoration Project began in 2009. It says the work took nearly six years and involved about 33,000 workers, including preliminary work. About 16,000 of the 75,000 roof tiles on the keep were replaced. It says the castle completed its first major renovation in fifty years in March 2015. Wikipedia dates the major restoration to 2010 to 2015, with reopening on 27 March 2015. The start year differs by one, and we show both. We have left out the project cost.
Visitors
Wikipedia says the castle drew 2.86 million visitors in 2015, the year it reopened. We have not checked a current figure.
The sources, briefly
Wikipedia is a reference work and Highlighting Japan is a magazine published by the Japanese government. Both are secondary sources. Neither is a visitor guide, and we cite them for history and numbers only.
What it means for a visit
Our reading is that the castle is as much about repair as age. The restoration sources say plaster and tiles were renewed on a large scale, and the building is a working example of how a historic structure is kept. Check opening times, any ticketing and what parts of the keep are open before you plan, since we have not.
Where sources differ, we show each: the count of National Treasures, the start of the restoration and the wartime wording. We list them in the check file.
Roam first. Shop later.