16611025
"The Japanese castle that defied story"
What is it with Japan and its castles? Today, it’s almost impossible to visit the country without encountering at least one. Himeji’s dazzling white fortress Hakuro-jo, or ‘White Egret’ castle, has been rewarded by Unesco for its fortified network of more than 80 defensive towers. There is Matsumoto’s oily-black Karasu-jo, or ‘Crow’ castle, the country’s oldest surviving bastion dating to 1504. Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and the smaller cities of Odawara, Hikone, Takeda, Matsuyama, Kanazawa, Okayama and Gifu each have one. There are dry moats and dimly lit, dusty interiors. Ornate tiled roofs and faded reliefs of folk heroes. At times, it feels like there are so many that the design of one bleeds into the next.
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