The Japanese carefully and respect their culture and history, to everything that the ancestors left them. There are no exceptions that are excellent in beauty, which visually differ from European fortresses. Today, guests of Japan can see more than 50 unique castles. Some of them retained their original appearance, others were partially or completely reconstructed.
Odavar castle (on the map)
During the era of the warring provinces, the castle located in the city of Odavar regularly took part in the battles. He was repeatedly besieged, restored and completed. Eleged in 1418, the castle was surrounded by a moat with water, which, in combination with earthen ramparts, was an almost insurmountable obstacle to the troops besieging it. However, there were black days in the history of the castle. In 1590, he was surrounded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi with his 20,000th army. After 100 days of defense, the strengthening fell, and many buildings were destroyed. Restoration and archaeological excavations began only in 1938, when Odavar’s castle received the status of a national historical monument.
Currently, there is a museum on the territory of the castle where an exposition dedicated to samurai is exhibited. Here are a variety of objects of their life, from weapons and armor to traditional outfits. In addition, the castle has a library, an amusement park and a zoo, from which, however, there are only a few aviaries with monkeys, as well as the restored Donjon – the main five -story tower of the castle. On the last tier, an observation deck with an amazing view of the city and the surroundings is equipped. Initially, it was not there, the site was mounted specifically for numerous tourists. The museum works daily from 9:00 to 17:00. The entrance ticket costs 40 yen (25 rubles). You can get to the Odavara from Tokyo with an express or ordinary train, the trip will not take more than 1.5 hours.
Osaka lock (on the map)
The five -story Osaka Castle is one of the most impressive structures in Japan. The area of the lock is approximately 1 square kilometer. It was erected in the 16th century to protect trade routes. In the process of construction, up to 30 thousand people participated; Despite this number of workers, it was possible to complete the construction only 13 years after laying the first stone. In the center of the fortification is an 8-story tower with five ground and three underground floors.
In 1614, with the siege of this castle, the Osak campaign began – the war between the shogunate of Edo and the Samurai clan Toyotomi. The siege lasted more than two months, but never brought the result. On January 19, 1615, the 200 thousandth army of the Tokugawa, Ieas, was forced to retreat.
From the moment of construction, the Osaka Castle has repeatedly been destroyed. The fortification suffered the most strongly from the fire in 1665. The lightning blow to the main tower led to catastrophic consequences – almost all the buildings that were on the territory of the castle burned. The restoration of buildings took several centuries and ended only by the 30s of the last century. Many of the newly rebuilt structures suffered from American bombing during the Second World War.
The work on the final reconstruction of the castle was completed only by 1997, but the restorers were not able to completely restore the internal interior of the premises and rooms of the castle. Despite this, the fortress did not lose its attractiveness for numerous tourists and the Japanese themselves. On the territory of the complex you can see several surviving houses and barracks, the jaguar towers and the gate of Otemon.
The castle in Osaka is open to visitors from 9:00 to 17:00. It is located in the historical center of the city, but if you are in the capital, then it is best to get to Osaka by high -speed train, which goes every 30 minutes and will take you to the destination in 3 hours. The cost of the input ticket is 600 yen (390 rubles).
Himji Castle (on the map)
This castle is the only in Japan that has not suffered from numerous earthquakes, wars and fires. Its second name is the castle of white heron. The honed and elegant forms of the castle can often be seen in the cinema. For example, in the film “The Last Samurai” with Tom Cruise or in one of the episodes of Bondiana.
The castle is not only the national treasure of Japan, but is also under the protection of UNESCO. On the territory of the complex there are 83 buildings, almost all of them are built of wood. Near the main tower there was once a palace, not far from which there was a small courtyard of Harakiri-Mar. He was considered the place where the samurai had to commit ritual suicide, but, according to historians, nothing of the kind happened in this courtyard. Perhaps the most exciting entertainment for tourists is a walk along the complex and confusing labyrinths of the castle, which were specially designed to mislead enemy troops.
Khimeji Castle is open to visitors every day from 9:00 to 18:00 in the summer until 17:00 in the winter. You can get here from Tokyo by train (about 4 hours of journey). From the railway station you will have to walk about 15 minutes on foot. The cost of the input ticket will be 600 yen (390 rubles). To visit the survey site, you need to take a separate ticket. Its price is 200 yen (130 rubles).
Hamzuvakamatsu castle (on the map)
The castle of the Aizuvakamatsu, erected in 1834, was one of the main political, military and administrative centers of Japan. During the civil war in 1868, the fortress became the last stronghold of the associates of the shogun and withstood the monthly siege before its walls and internal buildings were destroyed by imperial troops. Now, on the site of the ancient castle, there is an almost accurate copy of it, which was built in 1965. The museum complex is located about 100 kilometers from Fukushima. A trip from Tokyo will take about 5 hours. The castle is open for tourists from 8:30 to 17:00, the price of a complex ticket for an adult (visiting the castle and tea) is 500 yen (325 rubles), for children – 150 yen (100 rubles).
Matsumoto castle (on the map)
The second name of the Matsumoto castle is the Castle of the Raven. It is associated with a black roof resembling the spreading wings of this bird. The building, erected in 1594, is considered a symbol of the city of Matsumoto, which is located 3 hours from Tokyo. Two well -fortified towers were guard. In 1635, the third small tower appeared, which served as the observatory: here the Japanese astronomers watched the stars and the moon. This tower opens for visitors only once a year, on September 23, when a lunar festival is held.
Today, a museum is organized inside the Matsumoto castle, in the halls of which weapons are exhibited. Through wooden windows, which were once used by arrows for shelling the enemy, a wonderful view of the city, mountains and serf moat, in the waters of which snow-white swans, opens. The cost of an input ticket for adults is 600 yen (390 rubles), and for children – 300 yen (195 rubles).
Marouoca Castle (on the map)
In the Sakura flowering season, this castle “hides” behind a white-pink haze. That is why he received the nickname of the “castle in the fog.” There is also a belief that, when the enemy approaches, heavenly forces envelop the fortress with a thick veil, and it becomes invisible to the enemy. The castle is located in the Fukui Prefecture. It was built in 1576, however, in 1948 it turned out to be completely destroyed as a result of the earthquake. By 1955, the strengthening was restored, accurately repeating the appearance and internal interior. According to popular belief, a blind peasant was buried in the walls of the fortress, who was sacrificed to the gods. She went to this, putting one condition – her son will receive samurai status. However, the last will was not fulfilled, and since then the spirit of this woman wanders along the corridors of the fortress and scares her inhabitants.
At first glance, it may seem that the castle consists of two tiers. In fact, there are three of them. There is an observation deck in the castle, from where the bewitching look opens, including the Japanese Sea. The main feature of the fortress is the staircase. It is so cool that for tourists a rope is specially pulled, which helps to climb up. You can visit the marioka castle any day: it is open from 8:30 to 17:00, and the entrance ticket costs 300 yen (195 rubles).
Karpov Castle (on the map)
The Karpov Castle in Hiroshima was erected in 1589 on the banks of the Ota River, and in those days it was considered the largest construction in the west of Japan. Initially, the castle was a wooden temple consisting of 5 floors and surrounded by a moat with water, in which carps were found in a huge amount. The flood of 1617 significantly damaged the structure, which was then restored. During the Japanese-Chinese War of 1894, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Japan was based here. Unfortunately, as a result of the atomic bombing of the city in 1945, the castle was almost completely destroyed. The reconstruction of the building was completed only after 13 years. Now on the territory of the castle there is a museum complex telling about the history of the country and collecting unique samples of the work of Japanese masters.
On the upper floor of the fortress there is an observation deck where tourists can rise to admire the view of the city. The entrance to the museum, which works every day from 9:00 to 18: 000, costs 360 yen (230 rubles), and the excursion will take about 2 hours.
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