Eremit Apr 2, 2009 6:44am

Himeji Castle (Japanese姫路城, Himeji-jo) is located in the city of Himeji in Japan's Hyogo Prefecture. It is one of the oldest surviving buildings from the 17th Japan Century. The castle, which from 83 individual buildings, is regarded as the finest example of Japanese Castle construction and has the nickname Shirasagi-jo (English: White Heron), an allusion to the white exterior walls. Despite its architectural beauty, such as its spiral ground, their defense systems (Japanese nawabari) highly developed, so that when the castle was virtually impregnable.
Himeji-jo is one of the national cultural treasures of Japan and was founded in 1993 by UNESCO as World Heritage.