Page 214 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide: Japan

212  JAP AN REGION B Y REGION

Fish Motifs
Exploring Himeji Castle: Dolphin-like shachi-
gawara motifs on the
the Main Tower roof are of a mythical
beast believed to
The stronghold of Himeji Castle, the main tower protect the main
was used by the feudal lords in the event of a siege tower from fire.
or during drills. From the exterior, the tower appears
to have five floors. In fact, it has six floors and a
basement – the second and third floors from the
top appear to be one floor from the outside. The
tower benefitted from a restoration project that was
completed in 2015.

Interior of Keep
Originally an armaments store,
the interior remains largely
unadorned and houses
exhibits relating to castle life.

Rock Chutes
Angled chutes set at
numerous points in
the walls enabled
stones, boiling oil,
and water to be
dropped on the
heads of any invaders.

KEY
Entrance through
1 Basement level basement
2 Portholes in the shape of circles,
triangles, and rectangles were for
musketeers and archers.
3 The uppermost chamber offers
panoramas on four sides. Museum of Weaponry
4 The division between these two Displays of samurai
floors is not obvious from the exterior. arms and armor are
complemented by guns
5 Slippery wooden stairs ascend and pouches of gun
through rooms of diminishing size. powder, introduced to
6 Storehouses for grain Japan by the Portuguese
in the 16th century.
For hotels and restaurants see pp304–5 and pp331–3

212-213_EW_Japan.indd 212 08/08/16 3:07 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.6)
Date 12th July 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm