One of the 4 castles declared national treasures by the Japanese government. (Himeiji-jo is another, the one I visited the day I went to Hiroshima.) Also, unlike a lot of the other places I've visited while I've been here, this building is original to the 1500s with some additions. Most historic buildings here have been rebuilt 3 times most recently in the 1800s or 1900s - not surprising considering all the earthquakes and fires and wars in Japanese history.
The castle is 6 stories, but it only looks like 5 from the outside, the hidden floor has a really low ceiling and no windows, so you'd never know it was there. The stairways, is this joint were so steep, it reminded me of Chichen Itza or Uxmal, or Dan's house in Tokyo. They say that steep stairs like these prevented invaders from being able to take the castle quickly. Also this castle was really interesting because it was designed for warfare with guns, it was built 5 years after the Portuguese brought guns to Japan, so it has loopholes for shooting and a 60 metre moat.
The castle is 6 stories, but it only looks like 5 from the outside, the hidden floor has a really low ceiling and no windows, so you'd never know it was there. The stairways, is this joint were so steep, it reminded me of Chichen Itza or Uxmal, or Dan's house in Tokyo. They say that steep stairs like these prevented invaders from being able to take the castle quickly. Also this castle was really interesting because it was designed for warfare with guns, it was built 5 years after the Portuguese brought guns to Japan, so it has loopholes for shooting and a 60 metre moat.
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