Castles and Historic Sites

Hyogo Prefecture preserves a diverse architectural history, from the feudal fortifications of Takeda and Sasayama Castles to the Western-style districts of Kobe. Takeda Castle represents Sengoku-era mountain ruins, while Sasayama Castle showcases early Edo-period construction. In Kobe, the Kitano Ijinkan district and Kyu-Kyoryuchi 15-ban-kan highlight late 19th-century international influences, featuring preserved foreign residences and Japan’s only surviving original settlement building from the Meiji era, which was rebuilt after the 1995 earthquake.

663highland / CC BY 2.5

A

Kitano Ijinkan

Kitano-chō or Kitano Ijinkan is a historical district in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, which contains a number of foreign residences from…

Hebi~commonswiki / CC BY-SA 2.5

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旧居留地十五番館

Built in 1880 as the American Consulate General, this is the only original building remaining from Kobe's foreign settlement period. An Important Cultural Property, it was reconstructed using original materials after collapsing in the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.

663highland / CC BY 2.5

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Yokan Nagaya French House

A Western-style tenement house built in 1904 as a rental residence for foreigners. The building features two identical, symmetrical apartments and currently displays French antiques and period furniture within its historical interior.