Castles in Japan were built with a lot of ingenuity. In addition to serving the functions of a castle, each has a beauty that has enchanted people, leading to a castle craze in recent years. They hold many attractions, from their imposing, stunning appearance to detailed and elaborate construction.

Japanese Castles Were Once Symbols of Samurai Power

There were once people who were called bushi in Japan. You may know them as samurai, who served and protected people in high positions. Powerful samurai built castles for their residences. Castles were constructed all over Japan, one after another, notably in the 16th century, when samurai played an active role. At the peak, there were said to be nearly 3,000 castles. The tallest building in each castle was the tenshu, which can be described as the castle keep. It was the main tower constructed at the center of the castle. Standing prominently above the other buildings, the tenshu was mainly used as the place from which to keep watch on the castle environs. That changed, however, in the peaceful Edo Period (1603–1867), when the tenshu buildings were more often designed to show the authority of the lord of the castle.

Today, only 12 castles have tenshu in their original forms, which remain like they were when they were built. These castle keeps in various parts of Japan can be divided into black tenshu and white tenshu. First, let's look at the black ones.

Massive Tenshu Look So Cool in Jet Black!

Generally, black tenshu were said to be built by one of the most famous samurai in Japanese history, Hideyoshi Toyotomi (1538–1598) or his loyal samurai. Born as a son of a farmer, he was a man of extraordinary talents, emerging from his humble beginnings to become the ruler of a nation by unifying Japan about 400 years ago. Representative black tenshu include those at Okayama Castle in Okayama Prefecture, Matsumoto Castle in Nagano Prefecture and Matsue Castle in Shimane Prefecture.

Okayama Castle is commonly known as "U-jo" (Crow Castle) because the building walls are painted black like the feathers of a crow. The exterior gleams black in the sunlight, making the tenshu look absolutely daunting and drawing the attention of every visitor. On sunny days, the black-lacquered wood building is clearly reflected in all its stateliness on the surface of the river running right by the castle.

The black tenshu in Matsumoto Castle has roofs on five levels with starkly contrasting black and white walls. The building is designated as a national treasure. From the top floor, you can get a full view of the majestic mountains in the Northern Alps. Right beside the tenshu building is a tsukimiyagura, a small tower for moon watching. When the sliding doors of the tower room are opened, it turns into an open space with views on three sides. Visitors speak very highly of the castle keep, with comments like "The tenshu was blanketed in snow with the mountains behind it. The oneness of it all was wonderful to behold."

The tenshu in Matsue Castle features curving roofs that look like birds with their wings spread. The ends of the roof ridges are decorated with onigawara, which is a roof tile made from baked clay into the shape of an ogre, a mythical creature in old tales passed down from long ago. Believed to be effective at keeping harm away, the tile shows the face of an ogre. The ogres' faces on the tiles here have a somewhat innocent and humorous look, which is unusual compared with typical onigawara. There are 22 onigawara tiles, and every one has a different face. You can have a fun time trying to spot the differences.

Rising Gracefully Above, Pure White Tenshu Are Breathtakingly Beautiful!

Samurai are associated with graceful, stately white tenshu too. In 1603, not long after the death of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, a samurai named Ieyasu Tokugawa became Shogun (the title for the ruler of the country at the time) and assumed the reins of government. The Tokugawa family continued to rule Japan during the Edo Period, which lasted for about 250 years. White tenshu come from this period, so they are generally said to be related with the Tokugawa clan. Let's take a look at these buildings at Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture, Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture and Nagoya Castle in Aichi Prefecture.

Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture is nicknamed "Shirasagi-jo" (White Egret Castle) after the white egret because the tenshu is bright white. Himeji Castle was designated as a World Heritage site in 1993. The castle keep is one of the most beautiful in Japan. You can see the rigorous pursuit of beauty everywhere you look, including the roof curves, window frame decorations and supporting stone walls of the building.

There is also a white tenshu at Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture. Japan's largest lake, Lake Biwa, can be seen from the castle, which gets many tourists visiting all year round. The beauty of the castle is particularly striking in the spring, when about as many as 1,200 Japanese cherry trees bloom. Light pink cherry blossoms provide a wonderful contrast to the white building walls, creating breathtaking scenery for all to enjoy. Aside from this castle keep, which is a national treasure, the castle has many interesting features, including the turrets and gate designated as important cultural properties.

Lastly, let's look at Nagoya Castle in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture. The tenshu in the castle has two golden sculptures in the shape of a mythical animal called shachihoko on the top roof. A shachihoko has a tiger's head on a fish's body and is commonly attributed with the god-like power to bring forth water. The two sculptures, one male shachihoko and one female shachihoko, are slightly different in size and in the shapes of fish scales. One visitor said, "I was surprised by the giant shachihoko sculptures. They shone brightly and looked very beautiful."

The surviving castles across Japan are witnesses to the history of the samurai. They still have their tenshu, either black or white, intact. If you tour the castles when you visit Japan, you will see elaborate ornaments and the attention to detail by people from a time long gone. You will witness the beauty of castle buildings as they are today, blending in majestically with the seasonal scenery. And like others, you may be drawn in by the allure of the castles, inviting you to explore and discover.