Given the medieval castle, we rarely think about Japan. However, Japan experienced a very long feudal war, resulting in the construction of hundreds of castle-like fortresses. They look very different from their European opponents, but functionally they are almost the same. They were intended to protect the people inside from all sorts of dangers. This article introduces some of Japan’s medieval castles and describes fortress tricks and techniques.

There are some interesting points in Japanese castles. Most of them have a shrine at the top of the hold. And all of them use stealth as another tool in their arsenal of protection. A good example of this is the trick that makes the castle look like it’s five stories, although it’s actually six stories. This missing floor was a great place to hide materials and troops from enemies.

As with its long-established culture, you can visit many sites that make Japan a hot pepper, and you can see the castle at various stages, from built to rebuilt, debris and walls.

Japan has three major castles that have been considered the best examples of castle buildings for centuries. Himeji Castle, Matsumoto Castle, and Kumamoto Castle. If you want to visit Japan and experience the best castles, you should visit at least one of these three.

Himeji castle

It’s the best castle in Japan, and it’s a must-see even if you don’t like castles. Located on a hill, it is often referred to as White Heron Castle because of its dramatic appearance and white color. It has a very long history, the first Fort was built on the site in 1333. The structure, the current structure, was completed in 1618.

The castle has many unique things, such as a complex series of gates and mazes, making it very difficult for an attacker to get an entrance to the main fortress. There are also some ghost stories that grew up around it. The most famous is the story of a girl named “Okiku” who was betrayed, tortured and often thrown into a castle.

Himeji is open to the public and people are given the freedom to roam both inside and outside premises as they wish. English-speaking tour guides are also limited. This is a wonderful experience in Japan, about an hour by train from Kyoto.

Matsumoto Castle

The castle is a bit far from Tokyo, so it’s a good place to visit if you don’t plan to spend a lot of time in the country or if you have a very tight budget. The storage of this castle was completed in 1504, so it has a very long history. It’s also a flat land castle that stops with the water and sticks out into the water, so its appearance is very dramatic. Matsumoto is a great example of the stealth of a castle building, as it looks like a five-story building, but is one of the castles that seems to have a really secret six-story building.

Kumamoto Castle

This is a castle with an amazing history. Built in 1607, it was built in 1877, the site of the last wreckage of the samurai rebellion and civil war in Japan. Many of the structures were destroyed by fire during the rebellion. It spent almost a hundred years in the ruins, but has recently been rebuilt to its original beauty and is open to the public. The interior of the castle tower is now a museum, which is filled with much of the architectural and design splendor of the time it was built. Kumamoto was used by Akira Kurosawa, a famous director in the 1985 movie “Ran”.

The whole of Japan is covered with many castles and you don’t have to stay on the mainland to see them. If you’re traveling to the islands of Okinawa, you can visit some great examples that are a little different from the mainland.

Shri Castle

This is a good example of structural development over the centuries. Shri was the capital of the island of Okinawa, and the castle was the government seat. So, it has a certain abundance and beauty that expects the kingdom’s ruler’s house as well as its huge fortress.