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I love castles and always have going back to my first trip to Europe in 1971 where my new husband and I got a car and drove from London to Inverness visiting a castle a day. The history, the design, the mystique of times gone by all captivated me.
It would make sense that when planning a few free days before and after our Cuisine and Culture trip to Japan in April 2023, castles were on my list.
Himeji Castle and Matsumoto Castle
We went to two and they were surprising experiences for me. I found them to be very different from European Castles. Castles in Japan have names. Himeji is the White Heron and Matsumoto is the Crow Castle because of its black color. I found it interesting that the tag line on the Matsumoto Castle brochure reads “Weathering the hardships of over 400 years.” I always think of castles as places of luxury and privilege while protecting the populace.
The Himeji Castle was built in 1601. Because none of its main buildings were besieged, bombed or burned, it is the best preserved and most visited in Japan.
They are tall like European castles, but felt much taller and quite a project to get to the upper floors. They ranged from five to seven stories high. We had to climb what felt like treacherous ladders and not in my study walking shoes but in slippery slippers. The Japanese typically require you to take off your shoes when you enter a building. The castles were no different.
The inhabitants had to have been in really good shape. Whew. But I learned that in Japan the royal family of the daimyo (leader of the area) didn’t live in the castles. The fortress like castles were purely for protection. Historically they are very tall and built on the tallest spot in the town. Makes sense.
I don’t have many photos from inside. They were dark and frankly I struggled a bit with the mobility issues but here’s one that might give you an idea. And I was fascinated with the construction and function.
It was interesting to learn from one of the displays that the women were responsible for making ammunition. Yikes. On top of cooking and cleaning and raising the children they supplied the bullets. They were busy ladies but well protected by their men.
The grounds and gardens were beautiful in a traditional Japanese way. Below is the Kanazawa Castle with the beautiful blossoms. We were there just after cherry blossom season, but enjoyed remaining blossoms. This kind of image is an interesting contrast to the slightly goofy signs and ever present guys in costumes for earlier era.
I was fascinated with the architectural detail on both castles and on many buildings we saw in Japan. Kawara, the traditional roof tiles of Japan, not only keep the rain out but they have personality, meaning and spiritual symbolism.
That’s probably a topic for another blog post.
Heads Up
Susan will be giving a presentation at Olli at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids on November 30 at 9:30.
Join her on a journey to the Land of the Rising Sun where she will share photography from three multi week trips to Japan over the last four years.
Experience the Cherry Blossom festival, the bullet trains, interesting art focused venues, Buddhist Temples, Shinto Shrines and both Atomic Bomb sites along with a plethora of other items and experiences around this exotic destination.
