Himeji Castle, located in Himeji City, Hyogo Pref. is the typical example of medieval castle architecture in Japan. The castle together with Horyuji Temple was designated as the World Heritage in 1993 for the first case in Japan. The castle walls with plaster coating are really beautiful and as it appears as a white egret ready for flight, it is given the name of “White Egret Castle.” It is lit up in the evening. The castle was originally built by Hideyoshi Hashiba (later Toyotomi) as the bases for making an attack on Mori forces in Chugoku district. The original castle had three stories, but later after the Battle of Sekigahara, Terumasa Ikeda occupied the castle and reconstructed it. It took 9 years to complete the reconstruction. The main complex consists of one main donjon with five stories and seven floors and three secondary towers. The main donjon is connected by watariyagura (corridors and passages) to the other towers. The complex is well preserved as it was in the old days and still stands gallantly in the present time.
The castle court is filled with amazing color of 1,000 various cherry trees blooming in the spring; Yoshino cherry as well as weeping cherry and yamazakura in Nishinomaru Tower.