Traveling Ninja Notes: Castles in Japan

Leading up to our trip, we had lots of conversations where we got asked what we planned to do in Japan. Other than eating lots of delicious and strange food, the only other certain item on the to-do list was to visit some castles. We managed to visit five castles on mainland Japan (four of which we were able to enter) and two castle ruin sites in Okinawa. They all had unique features and a different story to tell and we found they were often the highlight of that particular part of the country. We also thought a good future travel goal would be to return to Japan so we could visit all the ones we missed :)

The first castle we visited was Osaka-jo (Jo means castle in Japanese), one that had been on my "to-visit" list for quite awhile. We spent most of the day exploring the castle grounds and the building itself. The inside has been refurbished and modernized so it could be converted to a museum explaining the history of the the castle, the region and the samurai lords who were significant players in the castle's history. The grounds are beautiful, featuring a grove of fruit and native trees, a large shrine, a shopping mall (not entirely historically accurate....but convenient!) and intact walls/barricades for two of the three original moats (the third is no longer existing, the city seemingly built over top of it). This is one of the fanciest and most significant castles in Japan, featuring in the most important of the civil wars. Construction of the original structure began in 1583.

5 stories of castle delight :)

The biggest rock in the castle wall...how did they move this in the 1500s??

Samurai guiding the shrine

Next on our castle visits was Nijo-jo in Kyoto. This was an Imperial villa back in the day. Part of it was under renovation, but we were able to tour the Ninomaru Palace, which historically functioned as living quarters for the castle lord and his family, and featured rooms for receiving other lords, visitors, etc. The building was amazing, with the ceilings and walls all painted with a range of murals. Each room had a different theme, ranging from seasonal floral themes to animals and general nature scenes. The ceilings were carved, painted wood and walls were of wood or rice paper. Photos were not allowed inside due to the age of the murals, but we got some good snapshots of the outside. Fun fact: the tower in the southeast corner of the compound is an original structure, and is the only tower to have been visited by an emperor (seems as if they did not mingle with the troops much so going to a watch tower would not have been a priority). Construction of this castle begin in 1603.

The imperial entrance gate

The back gate

Okayama castle, completed in 1597, was one of our favorites because it was a bit off the beaten track so it was less busy and had less "modernization." Due to its dark exterior, it was nicknamed "Crow Castle." It was much smaller and less decorated than some of the others as it was more of a regional Lord's castle, rather than something that would be utilized by the imperial family. We were lucky in our timing of this visit, we were in the castle while they were offering free photo shoots in traditional garb in the castle lord's chamber! The castle overlooked Korakuen, a traditional Japanese garden that was built in 1700 by the castle lord. It was used for entertaining visitors to the castle and for relaxation of the castle inhabitants.

Korakuen walkway

Shrine in the garden

Castle view from the garden

The lord and lady of the castle!

Hiroshima castle is unique in that it was built on flat land in the midst of the city, rather than the hilltop setting of most other castles. This castle is known as Carp Castle, was built in 1589, in a remarkably short time, especially since the location was not ideal for construction of such a large building and required a significant amount of wood to be transported to the area. The moats were constructed so that if the castle came under attack the outer areas could be flooded to provide additional challenges in gaining access to the castle. Although destroyed by the atomic bomb in 1945 a full reconstruction was completed using traditional building methods.

We got really good at castle selfies ha!

View from the top floor

Main gate and storage rooms

We visited the Kumamoto castle grounds, but due to major earthquake damage a few years ago the castle is under reconstruction and could not be entered. We did get to see one of the towers from a distance, and enjoyed visiting Kumamoto's biggest shrine.

Shrine entrance

The only tower still standing after the earthquake

In Okinawa, we visited the Urasoe and Iso castle ruins. Iso castle dates back to the 12 century. There was very little still there to view, but the thought of standing in such a historic place was pretty breathtaking.
Urasoe castle was the largest castle in Okinawa in the 14th century and served as the Imperial palace until Shuri castle was built. It was mostly destroyed during WWII, but there are reconstructed tombs for castle lords that can still be found on the castle grounds. The grounds are also part of the historical battle of Okinawa during WWII, which the movie 'Hacksaw Ridge' is based on. At the end of the castle park is a cemetery with a memorial to Okinawan and Japanese forces that perish in the Battle of Okinawa, a somber reminder of the sacrifice made on both sides.