HIMEJI CASTLE HIMEJI, JAPAN

Himeji Castle is a Japanese National Treasure as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s also one of Japan’s 12 original castles, with the current complex completed in 1618 and widely considered to be a fine example of early 17th century Japanese castle architecture.

Ikeda Terumasa was the brains behind what we see today. As the shōgun of west Japan and the son-in-law of the Japanese warrior and statesman Tokugawa Ieyasu, he was handed the castle in 1600 as a reward for his support in the Battle of Sekigahara. Within a year, he’d ordered its demolition and a