The White Egret ... impenetrable, impregnable Himeji-jo

When I think of castles, I think of Sleeping Beauty who lived in a castle and Cinderella who met
her Prince Charming in one.  I also think of Dracula who had a real life one and Mad Ludwig who probably had the most spectacular looking one.
In my mind, I had both the Disney version and the Transylvania version.
And then my friend Meiko san took me to visit Himeji Castle.  It completely erased all other castles from my mind.

As you step out of the JR Station in Himeji,  Himeji-jo or Himeji Castle appears like a vision in front of you.  Standing massive and tall, seemingly taller and more imposing than the mountains behind it,  it is also known as the White Heron because of its colour and its elegant sweeping lines.

Don't let the bird reference fool you though, this was not built for show -- this is one of the most well fortified and strategically built castles you will ever find. 

Himeji Castle, built by Akamatsu Sadanori in 1346  is one of the ten biggest castles in the world. 
It covers over 100 sprawling hectares including the hilltop where the main buildings look down on the city below. 

Visitors enter the castle grounds via the huge gate called the Otemon.  Himeji-jo is celebrating its 25th year as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the very first in Japan to have been awarded this distinction.

Upon entering Otemon, you will come into the third bailey called the Sannomaru.  From here, you get an impressive view of the main tower.    A stone path is lined with cherry blossom trees making this a very popular sakura viewing spot during spring.  Locals frequently jog and even walk their

dogs in this area as there is no entrance fee up to this point.

Himeji-jo is composed of 83 buildings and is the most famous and most visited of Japan's 

12 "original" castles, i.e. those that have survived relatively intact since their construction.  

Himeji was so well planned, with a maze of passages and entryways that any daring (and reckless) intruder could be brought down from any point of the castle.  

Hishimon is the main entrance to the inner courtyards and the main towers.  Shall we pretend for a moment that you and I are 17th century Japanese samurai leading 100 soldiers, intent on breaching Himeji-jo's ultra secure walls?  Half of them would probably not make it through the gate as the castle's defenders would have hit us with their arrows or guns from the arrow loops along the wall. 

But luckily, you and I and a few dozen men made it safely through! However,  we would still be shot at by the castle's men, guarding the next gate. See the gaps above the stone wall?

How about if we tried our luck and climbed the stone walls?  If you notice the construction, small stones and large stones are loosely piled on top of one another.  There is a reason for this -- enemies trying to scale the walls will all of a sudden find the wall crumbling and blocking the path forward. 

Quick!  There are still a dozen of us left alive.  We run up the sloping path, still trying to avoid the arrows aimed at us from the windows on the bailey walls.  However,  we would definitely have 

been slowed down because in the 17th century, this smooth stone path was nonexistent. 

Instead, we would have been sliding and losing our footing along this long grass, the leaves of which are very slippery.  Slow moving targets for the sharp shooters along the bailey walls.

By some miracle, ten of us made it this far!  More arrows and perhaps even bullets from matchlock guns would have picked a couple more of us off.

As we ran up this incline, we would have come face to face with Himeji's defenders who would 

have all been positioned at these windows along the walls.  We would have had to go mano a mano with them to get through. 

Can you see just how difficult it would have been to try and penetrate through Himeji's calculated defences?  Even if we made it through to this point, we would have run into this very low gate, hit our heads and been knocked unconscious.

You can see that my head touches the top of the gate and I'm a really short 5 foot 1 inch person. Someone careening through and making a dash for this gate would have hit his head on the thick wooden door.  Himeji has all these amazing twists and booby traps that no wonder, in its entire history, no enemy was able to penetrate its elaborately complex structure.

Oops, we just lost two of our last men on this stretch.  The defenders threw down rocks from the windows above and knocked them off their feet. 

We have not come this far completely unscathed.  You and I have been grazed by bullets and I have valiantly removed an arrow from my thigh so we continue to blindly stumble on. Somehow, missing the volley of gunfire from both sides of the turrets. 

We made it!  You and I climb right up to the steps of the main tower!  Tired and gasping, we look up to see this friendly guard  who tells us ... "Sumimasen, the main tower is closed for the day".

Aaaarggh!

Have I now  proven to you just how solid and strong the castle's fortifications are?  

In its entire history, it was never ever successfully attacked or invaded.

Standing here right under the Donjon or main tower is just as breathtaking as seeing it from 

a few kilometres away. 

The main tower is six stories high.  It is made of wood with white plastered exterior walls and has graceful  "wings" along its many levels.   Guests can enter and climb all the way to the top to get a sweeping view of the castle  grounds and the city down below.

Since we arrived too late to enter the main keep,  I had to contend myself with this view from Bizenmaru, the courtyard directly in front of the tower.   You will note that the grounds are so expansive, be prepared for for quite a long walk. 

While walking through the castle,  Meiko san brought out interesting facts about the construction of Himeji-jo. The castle was built at great expense and sacrifice by the people.  

At one point, stones became very hard to come by and the daimyo called on the people to donate whatever they could to help build the castle.  

By the Bizen Mon, you will see this huge slab of stone on the right.  This was part of a stone coffin which came from a burial mound.  This was not the only stone coffin used in the construction of Himeji-jo.

Small mill stones which people used for grinding grains were used as fillers in between the larger rocks.  Can you see the small millstone protected by a screen in the photo above.

The story goes that it was donated by an impoverished  widow who had nothing else to give.

It reminded me of the biblical story of the widow's mite.   The best gifts are given by those who 

have very little themselves.

P.S.

Visiting Himeji-jo was an incredible experience, made even more meaningful because our dear friend Meiko san was with us to  explain the history and construction of Japan's most impressive castle. 

On the way out, we met these young Japanese and their teacher.  

Members of an English speaking club, we had a nice time helping them practice their language skills.

While I will always remember the magnificent grandeur of Himeji-jo,  that memory will also include this personal and heartwarming encounter.