Images

Maruoka Castle was built c. 1576 in present-day Sakai, Fukui Prefecture, Japan.

Matsushiro Castle was built in 1560, but was demolished in 1872. Parts of the castle, including its main gate and moat, have been reconstructed and repaired in recent years. In Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.

Odawara Castle was established in 1447, but was destroyed and rebuilt during the Edo Period. Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

Photo of the Tatsumi-Yagura watchtower at Edo Castle. Edo Castle was continually expanded and rebuilt over the centuries, but was severely damaged by fires between the 17th and 19th Century. The complex is currently the Tokyo...

Scale model of the Honmaru and Ninomaru Palaces of Edo Castle, as they would have appeared during the late Tokugawa Shogunate. (Edo-Tokyo Museum, Japan)

Mito Castle was established in 1214, during the Kamakura Period in Japan. The castle was damaged by a fire in the 18th Century, and was destroyed during the Meiji period. Ruins of Mito Castle's moat and a few other structures...

A photo of Nihonmatsu Castle Gate. The castle was first established in 1341, but was rebuilt in 1643. The castle was demolished during the 19th Century Meiji Restoration, but parts were rebuilt during the 20th Century. Northern...

The ruins of Taga Castle, in Tagajō, Miyagi prefecture, Japan. The oldest monumentary inscription from Taga Castle dates to 724 CE, but new fortifications were built on the site in later centuries. Taga Castle was subject to...

Aoba Castle (also known as Sendai Castle) was built in 1611. The castle was repeatedly damaged by natural disasters such as earthquakes and fires, particularly during the 17th Century, as well as human conflict...

Morioka Castle in Iwate Prefecture, Japan was built in 1633, during the Edo Period. The castle's tenshi burned down only one year after its completion, and was never rebuilt. The castle's structures were dismantled in the late...