In recent years, people's living standards are gradually improving, and the pursuit of the spiritual field has become more and more urgent. With the simultaneous improvement of the economic level, many people choose to travel abroad to relax in their leisure time, and East Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea have become the first choice for most people.
Tourists to Japan usually visit Osaka Castle, which was once the residence of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. However, not far from Osaka City, there is also a Himeji City, where there is an ancient castle that is older and more beautiful than Osaka Castle: Himeji Castle.
Himeji Castle in pure white tones
In 1496, a branch of Japanese Buddhism, the Honganji school, established a temple in the Osaka area. After Japan entered the Sengoku Period, monks in the temple began to build fortifications for the temple, thus forming the prototype of Osaka Castle. Himeji Castle, on the other hand, was founded in 1333 AD, nearly two hundred years earlier than the history of Osaka Castle.
Osaka Castle, a tourist attraction in Osaka
In 1331, Emperor Go-Daigo plotted to overthrow the samurai regime established by the samurai class. Unfortunately, the power of the samurai class was far greater than that of the emperor faction, so the coup was not successful. After the incident was revealed, Emperor Go-Daigo fled to Gyōnomiya Kasashiyama and, with the assistance of the Ashikaga family, successfully overthrew the Kamakura shogunate, the Motohiro Rebellion.
During this coup, a warlord named Akamatsu norimura was gradually attracted to the attention and value of the Ashikaga clan for his military exploits, and was appointed as an official in charge of administrative affairs.
In 1333, the village of Akamatsu came to a place called Himeyama and built a temple called "Nomei-ji Temple" here. In 1346, Akamatsu Sadahiro, the second son of Akamatsu Norimura, began building a castle centered on the temple, which was the prototype of Himeji Castle.
It is not difficult to find that osaka castle and Himeji castle have basically the same origin, at first they were a Buddhist temple, but because of the war, they gradually acquired a military nature and evolved into a military fortress.
After the rise of the samurai class, the whole of Japan was plunged into a turbulent situation. Even though the samurai class eventually established several samurai regimes, such as the Kamakura shogunate and the Muromachi shogunate, the chaotic pattern did not change. Although on the surface samurai and feudal lords were loyal to the shoguns, and the shoguns were loyal to the emperor, they were actually pregnant with ghosts. And because there was no advanced and relatively perfect political system to consolidate the feudal rule of the shoguns, the whole of Japan was actually in a more chaotic situation.
In this context, the samurai had to consider strengthening their control over the territory, and building castles became the choice of most people at that time. However, it is unrealistic to suddenly build a castle in a remote and deserted area, which is why the temple will be converted into a fortress and then upgraded to a castle.
Himeji Castle is located in the territory of the Harima Kingdom
Fast forward to 1467 AD, the year in which the so-called "YingRen Rebellion" broke out within Japan, and the nature of the event was infighting between feudal lords. In this great scuffle, the declining Akamatsu clan defeated the Yamamyo clan that came after them and regained control of Himeji Castle. However, it should be mentioned that the Akamatsu family did not devote too much energy to the management of the city after retaking Himeji Castle, but put the koji family in charge of stationing the area.
Schematic diagram of the Rebellion of Ying Ren
In 1545, because the lord of the castle, Kodera, succeeded to the position of governor of the Kodera family and had to return to live in the imperial castle, control of Himeji Castle fell into the hands of the Kuroda family, the family' vassal. Under the governance of the Black Sky Family, the scale of Himeji Castle began to gradually expand, and the defensive ability of Himeji Castle was also greatly improved, gradually becoming a strategic place.
In 1568, the relationship between the Akamatsu family and the Kodera family and the Kuroda family broke down, so Akamatsu Masahide sent 3,000 troops to attack Himeji Castle, which was garrisoned by the Kuroda family. Although there were only three hundred samurai in the city, they still repelled the incoming enemy, which showed that the defense of Himeji Castle had been greatly improved compared to before.
In Japan during the Warring States period, there was often a situation of "lower gram up". In the context of the times, the moral code had been left behind by all The Japanese, and all that was on their minds was how to survive in the chaotic world, how to further expand their territory, and how to improve their military strength. As a result, there was often a rupture between the lord and his vassals over the uneven distribution of benefits. Not only that, but even the main family and the branch of the same clan often fought each other, so it was normal logic for the Akamatsu family to attack Himeji Castle, where the Kuroda family was stationed.
Masahide Akamatsu in the game
As mentioned above, Shimokami was a very common phenomenon in Japan during the Sengoku period. In 1576, the newly rising Oda and Maori families went to war. The Kodera clan, whose forces were located in the Harima area, decisively chose to side with the Mori family, while their vassals, the Kuroda clan, after carefully analyzing the situation, chose to betray the lord and defect to the Oda family. In 1577, Himeji Castle fell into the hands of Oda Nobunaga, the governor of the Oda family. In this regard, it is mentioned in the book "Chronicles of the History of Asahi Japan":
··· When Oda Nobunaga's power reached Harima, he recommended that nobunaga, the lord of the castle, and his father, Masatoshi Kodera, take over as Nobunaga, and welcomed Hideyoshi Toyotomi to Himeji Castle in 1915.
Translation: ··· When Oda Nobunaga's power gradually reached the Harima region, Kuroda Takataka advised his father to submit to Oda Nobunaga. In the 5th year of Tenshō, Kuroda Takataka welcomed Toyotomi Hideyoshi into Himeji Castle.
With the Oda family as the backing, the Kuroda family further upgraded Himeji Castle, establishing a three-story castle tower in one go, and the defensive ability and strategic value of Himeji Castle were also improved at the same time. The so-called castle tower refers to the tallest part of the castle. This is not only the "combat command center" of the city lord, but also has the function of a watchtower. Not only that, but the height and size of the castle tower also announced the strength of the city lord.
The castle tower of Himeji Castle
By the time of 1600 AD, the Toyotomi family had lost their former dominance, and control of Himeji Castle fell into the hands of the Tokugawa family. In recognition of Ikeda's exploits in the crucial battle that determined the fate of the world, Tokugawa Ieyasu enfeoffed Himeji Castle to the Ikeda family. After further repairs by the Ikeda family, the castle defense of Himeji Castle has been perfected and has become a real large castle.
In fact, after entering the Edo period, it did not make much sense to improve the defense of Himeji Castle again. Unlike the previous Muromachi and Kamakura periods, the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period had established a relatively complete feudal system, and the possibility of local daimyo rebelling against the shogunate had been minimized.
In such a peaceful context, the defensive nature of Himeji Castle has played little role. But even so, the Ikeda family insisted on further expansion of the city, perhaps in order to proclaim their own dignity and strengthen their rule over the area.
Layout of the interior of Himeji Castle
In modern times, the encounter of Himeji Castle can be described by the four words of "blessing and misfortune depending on each other". The last shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa Keiki, returned power to the Empress, and Japan entered the Meiji era.
In 1882, The Bizen Maru of Himeji Castle suddenly caught fire, and all the buildings were reduced to ashes in the fire. However, although Bizen Maru was very close to the Castle Tower, the fire did not affect the latter, which can also be called a blessing in misfortune.
Location map of Himeji Castle Bizen Maru
When World War II broke out, Himeji Castle was nearly destroyed. In 1945, the Allies conducted a massive air raid on Himeji City, destroying many key points in the city. One of the shells also fell into the castle, but only one of the school dormitories inside the castle was blown up, and other areas such as the castle tower were not destroyed.
Although the military defense capabilities of modern Himeji Castle have been abandoned by the times, the dangers encountered are far higher than those of the Sengoku to the Edo period. For such a building, which uses wood and stone as the main building materials, fire is its biggest threat. But if a fire breaks out in the city, the entire Himeji Castle may be reduced to ashes in a short time. Interestingly, however, even with modern artillery and aviation incendiary bombs, it did not burn the castle tower that had stood for many years, and it can only be said that the luck of Himeji Castle was really good.
Aerial view of the interior of Himeji Castle
Unlike Osaka Castle, Himeji Castle rarely encountered combat. Although the distance between the two is less than a hundred kilometers, the "treatment" enjoyed is completely different. Osaka Castle, on the other hand, was destroyed not only to a certain extent by the battle between the Tokugawa and Toyotomi families after the Battle of Sekigahara, but also by air raids during World War II. Even the castle tower was severely damaged, but it did not collapse.
Looking at the ancient castle architecture in Japan, no castle is more complete than Himeji Castle, which was basically damaged to varying degrees in various battles, and the degree of destruction of Himeji Castle was almost non-existent. It is precisely because of this that many of the architectural details of Himeji Castle have been preserved, rather than being inadvertently abandoned during the later restoration process, so that the world can fully understand the architectural art and architectural style of the Edo period.
In general, Himeji Castle has a long history, but also has a high ornamental value. It can be said that Himeji Castle represents the highest level of architecture in the entire Edo period. From a distance, the whole castle blends naturally with the surrounding environment, giving people a very peaceful and peaceful feeling, which echoes the experience of the castle.
bibliography:
【1】Asahi-Japanese Historical People's Dictionary
[2] Encyclopedia of Japan