Himeji Castle by unknown at GreatBuildings

Architect

unknown

Subscribers - login to skip ads

Location

Donjon, Himeji City, Japan map

Date

1601 to 1614 timeline

Building Type

castle

Construction System

stone walls, tile roofs

Climate

humid subtropical

Context

urban

Style

Medieval Japanese

Notes

many storied battered walls, flared hipped roofs, moated.

Images

Photo, exterior overview showing keep and wall

Photo, exterior, inner moat gate

Photo, exterior, roof detail

GreatBuildings Images

Google Images

Panoramio Images

Photo, exterior, keep pond	Photo, keep interior	Photo, west bailey interior
Photo, west bailey interior	Photo, exterior, west bailey from keep	Photo, exterior overview, keep from below
Photo, exterior detail, eaves of stacked roofs	Photo, exterior overview, keep and pond

More Images
Aerial view of Himeji Castle

Other images available on The GBC CD-ROM

Drawings

Elevation Drawing

Site Plan Drawing

3D Model

	3D Massing Model (DesignWorkshop 3dmf) Model Viewing Instructions

Discussion

Himeji Castle Commentary

"Himeji Castle , built between 1601 and 1614, represents the highest achievement in Japanese castle architecture. It is the sole example in which almost all the buildings other than the donjon still survive today. In addition to the usual compounds, turrets (yagura), turret-gates (yagura-mon) and earthen walls were constructed within the castle complex. However, the donjon was higher than usual; it had six storeys with a series of pent roofs, undulating gables and decorative dormers. Three small donjons (ko-tenshu) are connected by corridors linking the turrets. For defense purposes, gates were complicated by maze-like spaces to confuse the enemy."

—Sir Banister Fletcher. A History of Architecture. p744.

Resources

GreatBuildings Resources

Amazon Books

Sources on Himeji Castle

Sir Banister Fletcher. A History of Architecture. Boston: Butterworths, 1987. ISBN 0-408-01587-X. NA200.F63 1987. discussion, p744.

Munekazu Inoue. Castles of Japan. Tokyo: Association of Japanese Castle, [1958?]. interior photo of central tower, p52.

John Julius Norwich, ed. Great Architecture of the World. London: Mitchell Beazley Publishers, 1975. photo, plan drawing, p22. Reprint edition: Da Capo Press, April 1991. ISBN 0-3068-0436-0. — An accessible, inspiring and informative overview of world architecture, with lots of full-color cutaway drawings, and clear explanations. Available at Amazon.com

Yoshitaro Okumura, ed. Shashinshu Nihon no Shiro: Castles of Japan, Photo Collection. Tokyo: The Mainichi Newspapers, 1970. exterior photo of central tower, p1. exterior photo of central tower from access road, p8.

Henri Steirlin. Comprendre l'Architecture Universelle 2. Office du Livre, 1977. elevation drawing of main keep, p335. site plan drawing, p334.

Kevin Matthews. The Great Buildings Collection on CD-ROM. Artifice, 2001. ISBN 0-9667098-4-5.— Available at Amazon.com

Find books about Himeji Castle

Web Resources

GreatBuildings Links

Google Web Search

Links on Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle at Archiplanet — Find, add, and edit info at the all-buildings collaboration

We appreciate your suggestions for links about Himeji Castle.

Great Buildings	Search Model Viewing Tips DW Discussion Blogs Books Archiplanet ArchitectureWeek
Subscribe free to weekly design and building newsletters by ArchitectureWeek Quick Search by name of Building, Architect, or Place: Examples: "Fallingwater", "Wright", "Paris" Advanced Search Send this to a friend \| Contribute \| Subscribe \| Link \| Credits \| Media Kit \| Photo Licensing \| Suggestions Special thanks to our sustaining subscribers including BuilderSpace.com, and Saniflo Upflush. © 1994-2013 Artifice, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.GreatBuildings.com/buildings/Himeji_Castle.html