Himeji-jo

Himeji-jo Castle is the finest surviving example of an early seventeenth-century Japanese castle, comprising eighty-three buildings equipped with highly developed systems of defense and ingenious protective devices dating from the beginning of the Shogun period. It is a masterpiece of construction in wood, combining function with aesthetic appeal, both in its elegant appearance, unified by the white plastered earthen walls, and in the subtlety of the relationships between the buildings and the multiple roof layers.

Criterion (ⅰ): The castle is a masterpiece of construction in wood, combining function with aesthetic appeal, both in its elegant appearance, unified by the white plastered earthen walls, and in the subtlety of the relationships between the building masses and the multiple roof layers.

Criterion (ⅲ): The castle is a powerful symbol of the Bakufu, the military government that was in power before the Meiji Restoration (1868-1889).

Criterion (ⅳ): The castle is a well-preserved structure that combines all the important features of Japanese wooden structures.