With its gleaming white walls and elegantly terraced roofs, it is easy to forget that Himeji Castle was built as a fortress . Standing on two hilltops in the city of Himeji, the old fortress, also known as Himeji-jo, is the greatest surviving example of Japanese castle architecture from the early years of the Shogunate, which governed the island nation from the late 1500s to the 19th Century. Although never tested in battle, the castle?s elaborate defensive measures represent the best strategic design the period produced. While these measures have since been rendered obsolete, the same cannot be said for the castle?s soaring, pristine aesthetic, which earned it the nickname Shirasagi-jo ? ?Castle of the White Heron.?

The white plaster walls and sweeping terraces of Himeji-jo inspire its other name, ?Castle of the White Heron.? . ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user Oren Rozen (licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)
With its gleaming white walls and elegantly terraced roofs, it is easy to forget that Himeji Castle was built as a fortress . Standing on two hilltops in the city of Himeji, the old fortress, also known as Himeji-jo, is the greatest surviving example of Japanese castle architecture from the early years of the Shogunate, which governed the island nation from the late 1500s to the 19th Century. Although never tested in battle, the castle?s elaborate defensive measures represent the best strategic design the period produced. While these measures have since been rende...