Castles / JP / Hyogo Prefecture
Himeji Castle
姫路城
Which definitions does it satisfy?
This dataset does not record whether something “is a castle”. It records a verdict against each named definition, with the reasoning that produced it.
| Definition | Verdict | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Fortified residence | yes | A fortified residence of a lord, satisfying the criterion on its own functional terms: defensible works - baileys, gatehouses meant to be held, loopholes, a spiral approach designed for defence - combined with the residence of a daimyo. The criterion is functional rather than geographic and Himeji meets it without needing a special case. |
| Enclosure fortification | no | A designed lordly castle, not a prehistoric enclosure work. |
| State fortification | no | A daimyo's seat under the shogunate rather than a state artillery installation. |
| Palatial seat | no | Genuinely defensible rather than palatial; the defensive works govern the design. |
| Revival and folly | no | Genuine defensive-era fabric, extensively conserved but not a romantic reconstruction. |
| Popularly a castle | yes | Japan's most visited castle, a National Treasure and World Heritage site, universally called a castle in both Japanese and English. |
Facts
| Tradition | japanese |
|---|---|
| Location | Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, JP |
| Built | 1333–1609 · remodelled to its present form 1601-1609 |
| Condition | intact |
| Confidence | high |
| First recorded | 2026-07-21 |
| Last updated | 2026-07-21 |
In the registers
Where this structure appears in official inventories. This is what turns an individual record into evidence about a count.
- Wikidata —
Q182000· entry
Location
Approximate. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Notes
Carried deliberately to test whether the strict band is Eurocentric in practice as well as in origin. It is not: applied functionally, fortified_residence admits a shiro on the same terms as an Anglo-Norman keep. The tradition field locates Himeji without demoting it - which is why tradition is orthogonal to the bands rather than a band of its own. Note that OpenStreetMap reached the same conclusion by a different route, adopting castle_type=shiro as a first-class value (159 uses) instead of translating it away.
Sources
- Himeji-jo — UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 1993
- Japanese castle — Wikipedia
Record file · dataset licensed CC BY 4.0 — see provenance.