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Ryokan & Restaurants
in Hyogo which are English-friendly. |
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| Guided Tours Available by volunteers in Hyogo
Translation Service is also available. |
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An imaginary construction of Sasayama:Sasayama
Castle |
In the early seventeenth century
of Japan, there were approximately 25,000 castles governed by each feudal lord.
However in 1603, Ieyasu Tokugawa was promoted as Seiitaisyogun, the head of Syogun,
he started to centralize these lords and destroyed their castles. The number of
the castles was reduced to 170 when the Meiji Government united Japan in 1868.
Luckily, the Himeji Castle and other 11 castles still remain the perfect style
with donjons. And there are more than 10,000 newly-build or reconstructed castles
and the ruins throughout Japan. The following sections provide you with brief
information of six castles in Hyogo. |
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| THE MAJOR TYPES
of JAPANESE CASTLES |
|
| Hira-jiro |
castles built on the level ground. |
| Hirayama-jiro |
castles built on hills. |
| Yama-jiro
|
castles built on the top of
mountains or halfway up the mountains for defensive reasons. |
| Mizu-jiro |
castles on lakes or marshes
for defensive reasons. |
| Umi-jiro |
castles on the sea for defensive
reasons. |
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| THE WORLD HERITAGE,
and five more castles in Hyogo |
|
| 1.Himeji
Castle | 2.Akashi Castle | 3.Ako Castle(Kariya-jo)
| 4.Tatsuno Castle |
| 5.Sasayama Castle | 6.Takeda Castle(Torafusu-jo)
| |
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| 1.Himeji Castle (Himeji City) |
Himeji Castle
Himeji Castle on the hill Himeyama
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The largest wooden structure
existing in the world, the Himeji Castle had been built in 1610 by the then lord
Ikeda Terumasa. It is also called Shirasagi-jo, the castle of white heron, because
of the beautiful white appearance, and it has often been described in many literary
works. You can also see that the heights of the major donjon and the other three
minor donjons are beautifully balanced with this castle.
Unlike many other castles in the history of Japan, Himeji Castle has never suffered
war damage and it is one of the reasons why the castle could keep its original
form over 400 years. Japan's National Treasure Himeji Castle was designated as
a World Heritage in 1993, and is now ready for visitors from abroad.
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| Type |
Hirayama-jiro |
| Remnants |
major and minor donjons, towers, gates, stone
walls, moats, and many other remnants. |
| Location |
Hon-machi, Himeji |
| Travel
Direction |
--By Train--
Japan Railroad (JR) provides rail service to the Himeji Stn. (Sanyo Line and Sanyo
Shinkansen).
--Driving--
Take the Sanyo Expressway to exit the Himeji Higashi IC. Proceed on National Rt.
372. |
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| 2. Akashi Castle (Akashi
City) |
Akashi Castle's Two Towers (National Important
Cultural Assets) |
Blessed with mild climate and
marine products, Akashi has been well-known and often appeared in literary and
historical works since old times. Developed along the Akashi Channel, the town
was an important place for ground and sea transportations in former days.
Simultaneously with the completion of the castle in 1619 by Lord Ogasawara Tadamasa,
the Akashi town began to be constructed. It has been told that Miyamoto Musashi,
a great swordsman, directed for the project. He devised novel designs such as
Saigoku Kaido, one of the major roads in those days, in the town's center, the
outer moat to separate the residential areas of samurai and lower-class people,
and temples and shrines placed at the strategic points of the town to prepare
for a war.
Now the Akashi-koen Park is provided in the castle property with sports facilities
including tennis courts, baseball fields and an athletic field. |
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| Type |
Hirayama-jiro |
| Remnants |
two towers, castle walls, a gate moved and reconstructed,
stone walls, and moat. |
| Location |
Akashi-koen, Akashi |
| Travel
Direction |
--By Train--
JR provides rail service to Akashi Stn. (Sanyo Line).
--Driving--
Take the Daini-Shinmei Toll Road to exit the Okuradani IC. Proceed on Prefectural
Rt. No. 21. Turn onto Rt. 52. |
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| 3. Ako Castle [Kariya-jo] (Ako City) |
![(This wood-block print shows the view of Enden [salt pan] at Ako of former days)](img/ukiyoe.jpg)
(This wood-block print shows the view of Enden
[salt pan] at Ako of former days) |
In the first place, Kariya-kojo,
which is built to the north of the present Ako Castle(Kariya-jo) in the late fifteenth
century, was called the Ako Castle. The present Ako Castle was built by Asano
Naganao who became the Ako Lord in 1615. It took 13 years to complete the castle
with 10 towers and 12 gates.
Located on the west coast of the Chigusa River, the castle was once renowned as
a castle built in accordance with Japanese old military science
As just like most of the other castles in Japan, the Ako Castle was nearly destroyed
by the Meiji Government in 1885. After the second world war, however, people realized
its historic value and the castle was designated as the National Historical Site
in 1971. Researches and excavations have been conducted in the property and some
buildings such as gates and towers have been already restored.
The castle town Ako was developed along Harima-nada, which is the eastern area
of the Seto Inland Sea. Salt manufacturing was the main industry of the town.
Try salt-making in the Ako Marine Park when you visit there.
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| Type |
Hira-jiro |
| Remnants |
the stone foundation for major
donjon, a tower and gates restored, stone walls, and moats. |
| Location |
1 Kami-kariya, Ako |
| Travel
Direction |
--By Train--
JR provides rail service to Ako Stn. (Ako Line).
--Driving--
Take the Sanyo Expressway to exit the Ako IC.
Proceed on National Rt. 250. Turn onto Prefectural Rt. No. 229. |
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|
| 4.Tatsuno Castle (Tatsuno City) |
Vicinity of Nyorai-ji Temple and Keiro-san (Mountain)
Tatsuno Castle |
The Tatsuno Castle was built
by Akamatsu Murahide on the Keiro Mountain in the fifteenth century.
Then in 1672, Lord Wakisaka Yasumasa rebuilt the castle at the foot of the mountain.
The residential building in honmaru, white castle walls, the long castle wall
called tamon-yagura, and the gate called uzume-mon have been restored later with
the original wood of the old castle buildings.
20 kilometers to the west of Himeji, the Tatsuno town has been formed around the
castle.
This castle town still keeps the charm of the former days on the streets.
Especially the fine view around the Keiro Mountain brings you the atmosphere of
the ancient Tatsuno town, with the museum of samurai residence, the shrine of
Nomi-no-Sukune, and the street of Tera-machi (where temples are concentrated).
There are also some stone foundations on the west slope of the mountain.
Known for shoyu manufacturing since 1578, Tatsuno is still called "shoyu-no-machi,"
a town of soy sauce.
The historical museum on soy-sauce Tatsuno Shoyukan, a Western-style brick building
built in the 1910s, is waiting for you with the full idea of soy-sauce manufacturing
processes.
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| Type |
Yama-jiro |
| Remnants |
enclosures, stone walls, earthen
walls, tatebori (a moat vertically dug on a steep slope), horikiri (a ditch partitioning
between enclosures), honmaru goten (reconstruction). |
| Location |
Nakakasumi-jo, Tatsuno-cho |
| Travel
Direction |
--By Train--
JR provides rail service to Hontatsuno Stn. (Kishin Line). Take Shinki buses to
Tatsunobashi.
--Driving--
Take the Sanyo Expressway to exit the Tatsuno IC. Proceed on Prefectural Rt. 29.
Turn onto National Rt. 179. |
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| 5. Sasayama Castle (Sasayama
City) |
The outer moat of the Sasayama Castle, noted for
its cherry blossoms |
The Sasayama Castle at its town
center was built in 1609 by the order of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun.
The Sasayama town was between the then capital Kyoto and Western Japan, and Ieyasu
wanted to build a castle there quickly because of the location and his war strategy.
The major construction works were mostly completed within the year.
Sasayama, while being influenced strongly from the traditional culture of Kyoto,
has grown in its own culture at the mountainous Tanba district in Hyogo. A large
part of the town, such as the castle's high stone walls and outer moat, old streets
of merchants and samurai residences, still remains of old Sasayama and alienated
from modern development. Especially Nohgaku-den (Noh stage) is remarkable and
a must to see.
Situated in the property of the Kasuga-jinja shrine, the Noh stage stands there
just as it was built in 1681. Noh plays are performed on the stage three times
a year, in spring, autumn and new year's eve in winter. The performances are open
to public. |
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| Type |
Hirayama-jiro |
| Remnants |
the Lord's residence called Oshoin (reconstruction),
stone walls, moats, the areas provided for defensive reasons at the entrances
of the castle property called Umadashi. |
| Location |
Kita-shinmachi, Sasayama |
| Travel
Direction |
--By Train--
Sasayamaguchi Stn. (JR Fukuchiyama Line). Take Shinki or JR buses for ten minutes.
Three min. from the Nikaimachi bus stop on foot.
--Driving--
Take the Maizuru Expressway to exit the Tan'nan Sasayamaguchi IC. Turn onto Prefectural
Rt. No. 299. Proceed on Prefectural Rt. No. 306. |
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Kasuga jinja sairei gacyo |
Sasayama Castle and the moat |
*One scene of a festival's-eve from
“Kasuga-jinja sairei gacho,” a collection of paintings on a festival
of Kasuga-jinja (http://www.city.sasayama.hyogo.jp/).
The picture shows a scene of the general life of those days. |
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| 6.Takeda Castle [Torafusu-jo] (Wadayama-cho) |
The entire view of the ruins veild in the morning
haze
Takeda Castle |
Torafusu-yama and Maruyama-gawa,
a steep mountain and a river running at the foot of the mountain, where the Takeda
Castle is situated, provide a picturesque scene with a castle enveloped with fog
in the early of autumn mornings.
It has been said that Yamana Sozen, the then ruler of the Tajima district, first
built a castle in this location some time between 1441 and 1443. It took 13 years
to complete the castle but it had no stone foundations or walls. Then Akamatsu
Hirohide, the Tatsuno Lord, moved into the Takada Castle in 1585 and rebuilt it
with the stone walls. He committed suicide after the battle of Sekigahara in 1600,
however, the castle was abandoned in consequence.
From the foot of the Torafusu Mountain(353 meters), you will see the perfect state
of the stone ruins of the castle on the top. A 10 minute walking from the car
park, some hiking routes will take you to the ruins and a spectacular view point
to surrounding mountains.
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| Type |
Yama-jiro |
| Remnants |
enclosures, the stone foundation for a donjon,
stone walls, and vertical moats. |
| Location |
Takeda, Wadayama-cho, Asago-City |
| Travel
Direction |
--By Train--
Approximately 40 minutes on foot from JR Takeda Station. to the site of the Castle.
(Bantan Line).
--Driving--
Take the Chugoku Expressway to exit the Fukusaki IC. Turn onto the Bantan Renraku
Road to exit the Wadayama IC. Proceed on National Rt. No. 312. |
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| SAMPLE
ITINERARY |
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Hyogo
Tourism Association
Hyogo Prefectural Government Bldg. No.1,5-10-1 Shimoyamate-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
Postal Code:650-8567
Tel:078-361-7661 Fax:078-361-7662
e-mail: |
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