View allAll Photos Tagged daimyo
Rikugien Garden in Tokyo, in the grounds of the residence of a former Daimyo. In the Autumn they light up the trees and allow the public in until late. An absolutely beautiful experience.
Kurotake (黒竹) Dark Bamboo - Kasumi
Kurotake (黒竹) Dark Bamboo - A Dark Japanese Legend (*)
Legend has it that a samurai warrior named Yoshio once fell in love with Kasumi, the daughter of a feudal lord, a powerful Daimyo. Sensing the warrior's weakness, Kasumi used him to kill her betrothed, but with a blow to the face, she then betrayed him to her father, betraying the young samurai.
He fled but was ambushed while walking through the bamboo forest.
With his death, the bamboo forest became black from that moment on, but the daughter of the great Daimyo also had her skin black, forcing her to wear thick white makeup until the end of her days.
The forest remained haunted for many years, and it is said that the spirits of Yoshio, the young samurai, and Kasumi, the daimyo's daughter, roam the paths and temples... seeking revenge on those who pass by...
Kasumi (かすみ) is a Japanese feminine name meaning "mist" or "haze". The most direct meaning, evoking a sense of mystery, softness, and ethereality.
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Matsumoto Castle is one of Japan's premier historic castles. The building is also known as the "Crow Castle" due to its black exterior. It was the seat of the Matsumoto domain. It is located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture and is within easy reach of Tokyo by road or rail.
The keep (tenshukaku), which was completed in the late sixteenth century, maintains its original wooden interiors and external stonework. It is listed as a National Treasure of Japan.
Matsumoto Castle is a flatland castle (hirajiro) because it is not built on a hilltop or amid rivers, but on a plain. Its complete defences would have included an extensive system of inter-connecting walls, moats, and gatehouses.
The castle's origins go back to the Sengoku period. At that time Shimadachi Sadanaga of the Ogasawara clan built a fort on this site in 1504, which originally was called Fukashi Castle. In 1550 it came under the rule of the Takeda clan and then Tokugawa Ieyasu.
When Toyotomi Hideyoshi transferred Ieyasu to the Kantō region, he placed Ishikawa Norimasa in charge of Matsumoto. Norimasa and his son Yasunaga built the tower and other parts of the castle, including the three towers: the keep and the small tower in the northwest, both begun in 1590, and the Watari Tower; the residence; the drum gate; the black gate, the Tsukimi Yagura, the moat, the innermost bailey, the second bailey, the third bailey, and the sub-floors in the castle, much as they are today. They also were instrumental in laying out the castle town and its infrastructure. It is believed much of the castle was completed by 1593–94.
During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate established the Matsumoto Domain, of which the Matsudaira, Mizuno, and others were the daimyo.
For the next 280 years until the abolition of the feudal system in the Meiji Restoration, the castle was ruled by the 23 lords of Matsumoto representing six different daimyo families. In this period the stronghold was also known as Crow Castle because its black walls and roofs looked like spreading wings.
Kurotake (黒竹) Dark Bamboo - Kasumi And The Temple by Daniel Arrhakis (2025)
Kurotake (黒竹) Dark Bamboo - A Dark Japanese Legend (*)
Legend has it that a samurai warrior named Yoshio once fell in love with Kasumi, the daughter of a feudal lord, a powerful Daimyo. Sensing the warrior's weakness, Kasumi used him to kill her betrothed, but with a blow to the face, she then betrayed him to her father, betraying the young samurai.
He fled but was ambushed while walking through the bamboo forest.
With his death, the bamboo forest became black from that moment on, but the daughter of the great Daimyo also had her skin black, forcing her to wear thick white makeup until the end of her days.
The forest remained haunted for many years, and it is said that the spirits of Yoshio, the young samurai, and Kasumi, the daimyo's daughter, roam the paths and temples... seeking revenge on those who pass by...
_____________________________________________________
Matsumoto Castle is one of Japan's premier historic castles. The building is also known as the "Crow Castle" due to its black exterior. It was the seat of the Matsumoto domain. It is located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture and is within easy reach of Tokyo by road or rail.
The keep (tenshukaku), which was completed in the late sixteenth century, maintains its original wooden interiors and external stonework. It is listed as a National Treasure of Japan.
Matsumoto Castle is a flatland castle (hirajiro) because it is not built on a hilltop or amid rivers, but on a plain. Its complete defences would have included an extensive system of inter-connecting walls, moats, and gatehouses.
The castle's origins go back to the Sengoku period. At that time Shimadachi Sadanaga of the Ogasawara clan built a fort on this site in 1504, which originally was called Fukashi Castle. In 1550 it came under the rule of the Takeda clan and then Tokugawa Ieyasu.
When Toyotomi Hideyoshi transferred Ieyasu to the Kantō region, he placed Ishikawa Norimasa in charge of Matsumoto. Norimasa and his son Yasunaga built the tower and other parts of the castle, including the three towers: the keep and the small tower in the northwest, both begun in 1590, and the Watari Tower; the residence; the drum gate; the black gate, the Tsukimi Yagura, the moat, the innermost bailey, the second bailey, the third bailey, and the sub-floors in the castle, much as they are today. They also were instrumental in laying out the castle town and its infrastructure. It is believed much of the castle was completed by 1593–94.
During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate established the Matsumoto Domain, of which the Matsudaira, Mizuno, and others were the daimyo.
For the next 280 years until the abolition of the feudal system in the Meiji Restoration, the castle was ruled by the 23 lords of Matsumoto representing six different daimyo families. In this period the stronghold was also known as Crow Castle because its black walls and roofs looked like spreading wings.
In JAPAN , ORIENTAL White STORK Is designated and protected as one of the special national species . TOYO - OKA city in Hyogo prefecture has contributed to the protection for many years. THANKS to the effort, the number of oriental storks has been increasing recently . Two years ago, one of them happened to fly to our town , UEDA city in NAGANO prefecture , all the way from Toyo - oka. It was the first time in my life that I could see a stork in my neighborhood. She has visited and stayed here in UEDA many times since then . Especially she likes the district of SHIODA DAIRA . AROUND THERE, there are more than 100 ponds for agricultural uses . They are called TAMEIKE which are said to have been built for Rice farming by order of A local FUDAL Lord or Daimyo during the Edo period about more than 400 years ago . Even today each pond has a variety kinds of surroundings and diffident kinds of living things .
Thus she likes UEDA.
真田丸の里より。現在、特別天然記念物ｺｳﾉﾄﾘが、1羽滞在中です。真田幸村にちなんで、ゆきちゃんと上田市では命名されています。皆様に幸せを運んで来ます様に。
たまに、英語の鍛錬の為にも英文でこの様に記載している。長男がお腹にいるとき、その当時居住していた大阪で、英検準1級の一次試験を受験した。その二次試験にあたる面接試験は、当時は上田市の2中で受験した。一次試験通過者は7人。両側の女性は学校の教師という中、待合室で生後半年の息子に授乳しながら順番を待っていた。あれから、18年。人生色々で、その上田市に住んでいます。実家は東京ですが、もう少し、親子で、誰も身寄りがない土地で修行しようと思います。それが、生きる上での勉強だと思うのです。東京で暮らせば、家も、仲間もいますが、知らない土地で、人間の不条理さ、厳しさの中で生き抜く現実を早くから知っておいた方がいい。その上で、子供たちが、何を目指して生きていくのか考えて欲しいと思っている。
In 1610,Tokugawa Leyasu ordered the construction of Nagoya Castle.He ordered 2 o daimyo Lords from western Japan.Such as Kato Kiyomasa and Fukushima Masanori,to build the stone walls,this is called tenka bushin ( public works project) Kobori Enshu,Nakai Masakiyo and others built the main Castle Tower and corner towers.The Castle was mostly finished by 1612.
In 1610 ,Tokugawa Leyasu ordered the construction of Nagoya Castle . He ordered 20 daimyo lords from western Japan ,such as Kato Kiyomasa and Fukushima Masanori ,to build the stone walls .This is called tenka bushin [ public works project ]. Kobori Enshu , Nakai Masakiyo and others built the main castle tower and corner towers .The castle was mostly finished by 1612 .
Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukuyama_Castle:
Fukuyama Castle (福山城, Fukuyama-jō), sometimes called Hisamatsu Castle (久松城, Hisamatsu-jō) or Iyō Castle (葦陽城, Iyō-jō) was the castle of the Bingo-Fukuyama Han during the Edo period of Japanese history. The grounds of the castle have been designated a National Historic Site since 1964. The castle is located in Fukuyama Park in Fukuyama, Hiroshima near Fukuyama Station.
Fukuyama Castle is located at a hill in the center of Fukuyama city. Prior to the Edo Period, this area was a large tidal flat. The Sanyōdō highway, which connects the Kinai region with Kyushu, ran to the north of the modern city center, and Tomonoura, a port on the Seto Inland Sea from the Heian period, was to the south. The main power center for Bingo Province was at Kannabe Castle to the northeast. After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Fukushima Masanori was awarded control of both Aki Province and Bingo Province; however, in 1619, the Tokugawa shogunate used the pretext that he had made repairs to Hiroshima Castle without permission to seize a portion of his domain, awarding a 100,000 koku portion of Bingo Province to Tokugawa Ieyasu's cousin, Mizuno Katsunari. Katsunari had an outstanding military record and it was expected that he would act as a bulwark on the Sanyōdō highway against possible rebellion by the powerful tozama daimyō of western Japan, such as the Mōri clan. Mizuno found that Kannabe Castle was located in a narrow mountain valley and was inconvenient both to manage his domain and to defend against attack, some received a special exception from the shogunate's "one domain - one castle" rule to build a new castle and castle town on reclaimed land. Construction started in 1619 and was completed in 1622.
The new Fukuyama Castle occupied a hill with a length of 400 meters and width of 200 meters. The inner bailey occupies the southern half of the hill, and contains a five-story tenshu at its northern edge. The southern edge was protected by two yagura turrets.The Fushimi yagura was a white three-story structure transferred from abolished Fushimi Castle in Kyoto. The Tsukumi yagura has a red handrail balcony. Between these two yagura is the main gate of the castle, also transferred from Fushimi Castle.
The secondary bailey occupied the north half of the hill, and outer bailey surrounded south half of the hill. Fukuyama Castle had seven three-story yagura and 15 smaller yagura, and tall stone walls, and was surrounded by water moats, connected by canal to the Seto Inland Sea.
The Mizuno clan was replaced by the Abe clan was rulers of Fukuyama Domain in 1698 and governed to the Meiji restoration. Although the various Abe daimyō played important political roles in the administration of the shogunate, they seldom visited the domain in person. During the Boshin War, Fukuyama Castle was attacked by the Chōshū army in January 1868, but the domain defected to the Imperial side and the castle was spared destruction.
After the Meiji Restoration, most of the buildings except for the tenshu and a number of yagura were demolished. The castle grounds became a public park. In 1931, the tenshu was designed a "National Treasure" under the former Cultural Properties Protection Law. However, the tenshu burned down during World War II. Much of outer areas of the castle grounds disappeared due to the construction of railways and urban development. Fukuyama Station was built directly adjacent to the inner bailey of the castle and the tenshu can be seen clearly from its platforms.
Matsumoto Castle is one of Japan's premier historic castles. The building is also known as the "Crow Castle" due to its black exterior. It was the seat of the Matsumoto domain. It is located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture and is within easy reach of Tokyo by road or rail.
The keep (tenshukaku), which was completed in the late sixteenth century, maintains its original wooden interiors and external stonework. It is listed as a National Treasure of Japan.
Matsumoto Castle is a flatland castle (hirajiro) because it is not built on a hilltop or amid rivers, but on a plain. Its complete defences would have included an extensive system of inter-connecting walls, moats, and gatehouses.
The castle's origins go back to the Sengoku period. At that time Shimadachi Sadanaga of the Ogasawara clan built a fort on this site in 1504, which originally was called Fukashi Castle. In 1550 it came under the rule of the Takeda clan and then Tokugawa Ieyasu.
When Toyotomi Hideyoshi transferred Ieyasu to the Kantō region, he placed Ishikawa Norimasa in charge of Matsumoto. Norimasa and his son Yasunaga built the tower and other parts of the castle, including the three towers: the keep and the small tower in the northwest, both begun in 1590, and the Watari Tower; the residence; the drum gate; the black gate, the Tsukimi Yagura, the moat, the innermost bailey, the second bailey, the third bailey, and the sub-floors in the castle, much as they are today. They also were instrumental in laying out the castle town and its infrastructure. It is believed much of the castle was completed by 1593–94.
During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate established the Matsumoto Domain, of which the Matsudaira, Mizuno, and others were the daimyo.
For the next 280 years until the abolition of the feudal system in the Meiji Restoration, the castle was ruled by the 23 lords of Matsumoto representing six different daimyo families. In this period the stronghold was also known as Crow Castle because its black walls and roofs looked like spreading wings.
Seen during a walk around central Hiroshima.
Japan.
Hiroshima Castle, sometimes called Carp Castle, is a castle in Hiroshima, Japan that was the home of the daimyō of the Hiroshima han. The castle was constructed in the 1590s, but was destroyed by the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945.
“A monk sips morning tea,
it's quiet,
the chrysanthemum's flowering.”
Zen monk Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) is also Japan’s most revered poet. Using the Haiku form (3 lines, 5 syllables on the first, 7 on the second and 5 on the last) he connects everyday experience with nature and spirituality. In “The Narrow Road to Oku” (奥の細道, Oku-no hosomichi) often translated “the deep north”, the monk records his experience in 1689 of undertaking a famous pilgrimage to the Ise Shrine. The journey lasted 150 days in which he walked 2400 kms (1500 miles).
www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/the-great-eastern-p...
Also in this still life: Satsuma Ware.
Decorative plate and Koro. A koro is a Japanese incense burner.
“Satsuma ware (薩摩焼, Satsuma-yaki) is a type of Japanese pottery originally from Satsuma Province, southern Kyūshū. Today, it can be divided into two distinct categories: the original plain dark clay early Satsuma (古薩摩, Ko-Satsuma) made in Satsuma from around 1600, and the elaborately decorated export Satsuma (京薩摩, Kyō-Satsuma) ivory-bodied pieces which began to be produced in the nineteenth century in various Japanese cities. By adapting their gilded polychromatic enamel overglaze designs to appeal to the tastes of western consumers, manufacturers of the latter made Satsuma ware one of the most recognized and profitable export products of the Meiji period (1868-1912).”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satsuma_ware
The cross in the circle is actually the Shimazu family crest. The Shimazu clan were the daimyō of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan. The Daimyō were powerful Japanese feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings.
The mark on the back of this Satsuma ware confirms it was made in the Meiji period (1868-1912).
A guide to some of the most exquisite Satsuma designs.
doccdn.simplesite.com/d/18/36/282600881017468440/2ffda3a7...
Taken at Roppongi Hills in Tokyo.
Roppongi Hills, as well as the area around the close-by Tokyo Midtown development, have a long history of being "posh". During the Edo period, the areas were estates belonging to the powerful members of the extended Mōri clan, who had vast holdings in the far west of Japan's main island of Honshū. The Mōri built opulent mansions and gardens. Traces of the gardens remain, both at Roppongi Hills' Mōri Garden and Midtown's Shimizutei.
I've started this MOC over two years ago, and had made substantial progress towards this current version all the way back in Jan 2021, when it was about 75% done. Then life got in the way, and I had to prioritise other things, namely finishing my PhD, moving house, getting married, and a whole lot more. Since January I've been slowly reclaiming back some time for my #LEGO #hobby and I've been really enjoying it as of late. I plan to bring you guys a whole lot more in the coming weeks and months.
For now, enjoy this MOC and please let me know what you think! I'll also take this moment to thank my MasterPiece friends for their constant encouragement and support throughout this journey, without whom I'm not sure this would have turned out nearly as good.
In 1610 , Tokugawa Leyasu ordered the construction of Nagoya Castle .He ordered 20 daimyo lords from western Japan ,such as Kato Kiyomasa and Fukushima Masanori, to built the stone walls .This is called tenka bushin [ public works project ]. Kobori Enshu , Nakai Masakiyo and others built the main castle tower and corner towers .The castle was mostly finishead by 1612 .
Okazaki Castle is located in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Okazaki Castle was home to the Honda clan, daimyo of Okazaki Domain, but the castle is better known for its association with Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Tokugawa clan.
In the early 17th century european traders and missionaries was banned to enter Japan. The shogunate believed that the europeans were forerunners of a military campaign and therefore they were expelled.
The project is inspired by these events. The scene depicts some desperate Europeans who tried to take refuge in a castle.
Happō-en, located in the Shirokane area of Minato-ku, Tokyo, is a beautiful place known more for hosting an endless stream of weddings and formal banquets. Happō-en has a history dating to the early 1600s, when it was the villa for Okubo Hikozaemon, a trusted confidant and retainer of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, who unified Japan, as well as his two successors. Afterwards, the villa served as a residence for the Shimazu clan from the domain of Satsuma in Kyushu and then served as a villa for Saigō Takamori for a period of time. Happō-en means “eight gardens” in Japanese and its main garden is truly a delight, especially in early April, when the cherry trees are in bloom.
Koishikawa Kōrakuen Garden (小石川後楽園) is in Koishikawa, Bunkyō, Tokyo, adjacent to Tokyo Dome City. It is one of two surviving Edo period clan gardens in modern Tokyo, the other being Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden, and one of the oldest and best preserved parks in Tokyo.
The construction was started in 1629 by Tokugawa Yorifusa, the daimyo (feudal lord) of Mito han, and was completed by his successor, Tokugawa Mitsukuni.
Mitsukuni named this garden "Kōraku-en" (Kōraku means "enjoying afterwards") after a Chinese teaching of "a governor should worry before people and enjoy after people". The garden shows strong Chinese character in its design, as it was influenced by the West Lake of Hangzhou. (Wikipedia)
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a large park with an eminent garden in Shinjuku and Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally a residence of the Naitō family in the Edo period. Afterwards, it became a garden under the management of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan. It is now a park under the jurisdiction of the national Ministry of the Environment.
The shogun bequeathed this land to Lord Naitō (daimyo) of Tsuruga in the Edo period who completed a garden here in 1772. After the Meiji Restoration the house and its grounds were converted into an experimental agricultural centre. It then because a botanical garden before becoming an imperial garden in 1879. The current configuration of the garden was completed in 1906. Most of the garden was destroyed by air raids in 1945, during the later stages of World War II. The garden was rebuilt after the war.
The jurisdiction over the Imperial Palace Outer Garden and the Kyoto imperial garden was transferred to the Ministry of Health and Welfare (now part of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) in 1947.
On May 21, 1949 the garden became open to the public as "National Park Shinjuku Imperial Gardens". It came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment in January 2001 with the official name "Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden".
In 1610 , Tokugawa Leyasu ordered the construction of Nagoya Castle .He ordered 2o daimyo lords from western Japan ,such as Kato Kiyomasa and Fukushima Masanori ,to build the stone walls .This is called tenka bushin [public works project ].Kobori Enshu ,Nakai Masakiyo and others built the main castle tower and corner towers .The castle was mostly finished by 1612.
"O-Chiyo Braddock, a British-Japanese Oiran, working at a brothel on a daily basis. She earned the nickname Butterfly, due to her ability to read minds.
One day at the brothel, a strange Ronin (Wolverine) selected her for her services. The Ronin revealed that he planned to kill the Daimyo for murdering his master and all of the other Ronin. O-Chiyo and the Ronin fight until he pins her to the wall with a Sai, as O-Chiyo wants to be the one who kills the Daimyo. The Ronin questions her anger, saying that she should be angry with her father for killing himself and abandoning her, not the Daimyo. Defeated, O-Chiyo eventually realizes that he is right."
Matsumoto Castle is one of Japan's premier historic castles. The building is also known as the "Crow Castle" due to its black exterior. It was the seat of the Matsumoto domain. It is located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture and is within easy reach of Tokyo by road or rail.
The keep (tenshukaku), which was completed in the late sixteenth century, maintains its original wooden interiors and external stonework. It is listed as a National Treasure of Japan.
Matsumoto Castle is a flatland castle (hirajiro) because it is not built on a hilltop or amid rivers, but on a plain. Its complete defences would have included an extensive system of inter-connecting walls, moats, and gatehouses.
The castle's origins go back to the Sengoku period. At that time Shimadachi Sadanaga of the Ogasawara clan built a fort on this site in 1504, which originally was called Fukashi Castle. In 1550 it came under the rule of the Takeda clan and then Tokugawa Ieyasu.
When Toyotomi Hideyoshi transferred Ieyasu to the Kantō region, he placed Ishikawa Norimasa in charge of Matsumoto. Norimasa and his son Yasunaga built the tower and other parts of the castle, including the three towers: the keep and the small tower in the northwest, both begun in 1590, and the Watari Tower; the residence; the drum gate; the black gate, the Tsukimi Yagura, the moat, the innermost bailey, the second bailey, the third bailey, and the sub-floors in the castle, much as they are today. They also were instrumental in laying out the castle town and its infrastructure. It is believed much of the castle was completed by 1593–94.
During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate established the Matsumoto Domain, of which the Matsudaira, Mizuno, and others were the daimyo.
For the next 280 years until the abolition of the feudal system in the Meiji Restoration, the castle was ruled by the 23 lords of Matsumoto representing six different daimyo families. In this period the stronghold was also known as Crow Castle because its black walls and roofs looked like spreading wings.
Koishikawa Kōrakuen Garden (小石川後楽園) is in Koishikawa, Bunkyō, Tokyo, adjacent to Tokyo Dome City. It is one of two surviving Edo period clan gardens in modern Tokyo, the other being Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden, and one of the oldest and best preserved parks in Tokyo.
The construction was started in 1629 by Tokugawa Yorifusa, the daimyo (feudal lord) of Mito han, and was completed by his successor, Tokugawa Mitsukuni.
Mitsukuni named this garden "Kōraku-en" (Kōraku means "enjoying afterwards") after a Chinese teaching of "a governor should worry before people and enjoy after people". The garden shows strong Chinese character in its design, as it was influenced by the West Lake of Hangzhou. (Wikipedia)
"One of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, Okayama Korakuen is a cultural heritage site for the world to treasure.
In 1687, Ikeda Tsunamasa, daimyo (feudal lord) ordered his vassal Tsuda Nagatada to begin construction of Okayama Korakuen. It was completed in 1700, and it has retained its original appearance from the Edo Period up to the present day, except for a few changes by various daimyo."
These are previously un-posted photos of Kumamoto and its beautiful castle, which is now seriously damaged due to the two major earthquakes that struck on April 14 and 16, 2016 along with the numerous strong aftershocks. It is heart-wrenching to see what is happening to the city, its people and the castle.
When I visited Kumamoto in Feb 2013, I was lucky to have an amazingly rich blue sky to provide a nice background for my external photos.
Most of the photos here showcase the sloping wall style that was employed by Katō Kiyomasa, the daimyō who first built this castle. He really was a master castle builder, and the Hosokawa, who received the Katō's 530,000 koku fief after it was repossessed by the shogunate in 1632, inherited one heck of a gorgeous and very formidable castle.
To put it in perspective, the grounds of the castle were a massive 980,000 square meters, and its perimeters covered an area out to 5.3 km. There were 49 turret towers, 18 tower gates and 29 regular castle gates.
The castle survived the Edo period without falling victim to fire or natural disasters, but in 1877, just before the start of the Satsuma rebellion, an accidental fire did break out that gutted the main keep, the palace and other important structures. Then in February of that same year, a rebel army from Satsuma (Kagoshima Prefecture), led by Saigō Takamori, laid siege to the castle for nearly two months. The castle was defended by the Imperial Japanese Army and withheld the siege, but more buildings were destroyed during the fighting. Today's castle is a fero-concrete reconstruction, but the honmaru goten (palace) was rebuilt using traditional material and opened in 1998.
From archived files …
The grace and elegance of the tower rises above the massive rock base, looking unlike the strong fortress it was.
With 400 years of history, Matsumoto Castle is a National Treasure located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture. Its origins go back to the Sengoku period. At that time Shimadachi Sadanaga of the Ogasawara clan built a fort on this site in 1504 which was originally called Fukashi Castle. In 1550 it came under the rule of the Takeda clan and then Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Much of the castle was completed by 1593–94. For the next 280 years until the abolition of the feudal system in the Meiji Restoration, the castle was ruled by the 23 lords of Matsumoto representing six different daimyō families.
In this period the stronghold was also known as Crow Castle (Karasu-jo) because its black walls and roofs looked like spreading wings. (See shot of grounds in comments below)
Various characters from the first three episodes of the latest Star Wars TV show.
From left to right: Skad, Tusken Slave Boba, Daimyo Boba Fett, Rancor Keeper (Danny Trejo), and Drash
Figures range from being purist Lego customs to ones featuring painted/modified parts.
Been on a Star Wars kick again. Hopefully I can crank out a new build soon, but enjoy this!
In the very early morning, before the tourists arrived, I photographed the stunning mounted statue of Todo Takatora that stands in the inner courtyard of Imabari castle. He is overlooking the restored 5 story tenshu (keep) of the coastal castle he designed and built in the early 17th C. Shikoku Island, Japan.
12/06/2024 www.allenfotowild.com
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a large park with an eminent garden in Shinjuku and Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally a residence of the Naitō family in the Edo period. Afterwards, it became a garden under the management of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan. It is now a park under the jurisdiction of the national Ministry of the Environment.
The shogun bequeathed this land to Lord Naitō (daimyo) of Tsuruga in the Edo period who completed a garden here in 1772. After the Meiji Restoration the house and its grounds were converted into an experimental agricultural centre. It then because a botanical garden before becoming an imperial garden in 1879. The current configuration of the garden was completed in 1906. Most of the garden was destroyed by air raids in 1945, during the later stages of World War II. The garden was rebuilt after the war.
The jurisdiction over the Imperial Palace Outer Garden and the Kyoto imperial garden was transferred to the Ministry of Health and Welfare (now part of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) in 1947.
On May 21, 1949 the garden became open to the public as "National Park Shinjuku Imperial Gardens". It came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment in January 2001 with the official name "Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden".
Koishikawa-Kōrakuen is a seventeenth-century garden in Koishikawa, Bunkyō, Tokyo. The garden was begun by Mito Yorifusa in 1629, and completed by his son Mito Mitsukuni. It was created with advice from the Chinese scholar Zhu Shun Shui, and incorporates elements of both Chinese and Japanese taste.
It is one of three surviving daimyō gardens of the many that were created in Edo after it became the military capital of the country, the others being the Rikugi-en and the Hama Rikyū gardens.
Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shukkei-en:
Shukkei-en (縮景園) is a historic Japanese garden in the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum is located adjacent to the garden.
Construction began in 1620 during the Edo period at the order of Asano Nagaakira, daimyō of the Hiroshima han. Shukkei-en was constructed by Ueda Sōko, who served lord Asano as chief retainer (karō) of the domain and as a tea master.
Since the Meiji period, the garden served as the villa of the Asano family. When under Emperor Meiji the Imperial General Headquarters were relocated to Hiroshima, the emperor briefly lodged at the villa. The gardens were opened to the public, and in 1940 the Asano family donated them to Hiroshima Prefecture. Being a short walk from ground zero of the nuclear attack on Hiroshima, Shukkei-en suffered extensive damage, and then became a refuge for victims of the war. After renovations, it reopened in 1951.
Wakayama (和歌山市 Wakayama-shi, Japanese: [ɰakaꜜjama]) is the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan.
Wakayama is cleft in two by the Kinokawa River. The city is bordered at the north by mountains and Osaka Prefecture.
In the city center is Wakayama Castle, built on Mt. Torafusu (the name means "a tiger leaning on his side") in a city central park. During the Edo period, the Kishū Tokugawa daimyō ruled from Wakayama Castle. Tokugawa Yoshimune, the fifth Kishū Tokugawa daimyo, became the eighth Tokugawa shōgun. This castle is a concrete replica of the original, which was destroyed in World War II.
Wakayama is home to one of Japan's three Melody Roads, which is made from grooves cut into the pavement, which when driven over causes a tactile vibration and audible rumbling transmitted through the wheels into the car body.
Wakayama Prefecture is famous across Japan for its umeboshi (salty pickled plums) and mikan (mandarins).
Wakayama has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, and is greater in summer than in winter.