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Himeji Castle (姬路城), Himeji city (姫路市), Japan - it is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture. The castle is frequently known as "White Egret Castle" or "White Heron Castle" because of its brilliant white exterior and supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight. It dates to 1333, when Akamatsu Norimura(赤松 則村) built a fort on top of Himeyama hill. The fort was dismantled and rebuilt as Himeyama Castle in 1346, and then remodeled into Himeji Castle two centuries later. Himeji Castle was then significantly remodeled in 1581 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi(豐臣 秀吉), who added a three-story castle keep. In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu(徳川家康) awarded the castle to Ikeda Terumasa for his help in the Battle of Sekigahara, and Ikeda completely rebuilt the castle from 1601 to 1609, expanding it into a large castle complex. It also is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, and it was registered in 1993 as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country.

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