Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in Himeji, a city in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 rooms with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period. The castle is frequently known as Hakuro-jō or Shirasagi-jō because of its brilliant white exterior and supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight.As with almost all Japanese castles from the Azuchi-Momoyama period onward, the tenshu, the most prominent structure, was used as a storehouse in times of peace and as a fortified tower in times of war, and the daimyo's government offices and residences were located in a group of single-story buildings near the tenshu and the surrounding yagura.Himeji Castle dates to 1333 when Akamatsu Norimura built a fort on top of Himeyama hill.