Himeji Castle

히메지성

Himeji Castle is a hilltop castle in the city of Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. It is often called the White Heron Castle because its bright white walls look like a bird spreading its wings. It is one of the best-preserved original castles in Japan and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. Its curved stone walls are sometimes said to look like giant fans.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Country: Japan
Location: Himeji, Hyōgo, Japan
Built: 1609
Height: 46 m
Type: Castle

Quick answers

Where is Himeji Castle?

Himeji Castle is in Himeji, Hyōgo, Japan.

When was Himeji Castle built?

Himeji Castle was built in 1609.

How tall is Himeji Castle?

Himeji Castle is about 46 m tall.

Japan's finest surviving feudal castle, nicknamed "White Heron Castle" for its brilliant white walls.

The main keep is about 46 metres tall. From outside it seems to have five floors, but inside there are six and a basement. The complex has 83 buildings, and five of them are National Treasures. Most of what you see today dates from rebuilding between 1601 and 1609 by Ikeda Terumasa. It is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, with more than 2.8 million visitors in 2015.

A castle built to confuse attackers

Himeji is a defensive maze. Paths twist and turn between gates, and three moats surround the hill. The walls have about 1,000 loopholes for archers and gunners, plus angled stone-drop windows for dropping rocks on climbers.

The aim was to slow enemies down so that defenders could attack them while they were lost in the maze.

How it survived

The castle nearly came down in the Meiji era, when many castles were torn down. It also lived through the 1945 bombing of Himeji, which burned much of the surrounding city, and through the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake with little damage.

A major restoration began in April 2010 and finished in March 2015, when the roof was brought back to its bright white colour.

A long history, many rescues

A fort was first built on Himeyama hill in 1333, rebuilt as a castle in 1346, and became Himeji Castle about two centuries later. In 1581 Toyotomi Hideyoshi added a three-storey keep. Ikeda Terumasa then tore it down and rebuilt everything from 1601 to 1609, adding three moats. In the Meiji era the castle was abandoned in 1871 and might have been demolished, but an army colonel named Nakamura Shigeto helped save it. In 1945 a firebomb that fell on the top floor failed to explode. Repairs starting in 1956 took 250,000 man-days.

Fun facts

In 1993 it became one of Japan's first UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
From outside the keep looks five storeys tall, but inside it has six floors and a basement.
The castle has about 1,000 loopholes in its walls.
It was one of Japan's first World Heritage Sites, registered on 11 December 1993.
A firebomb that landed on its top floor in 1945 failed to explode.