While in Japan I really enjoyed seeing the old buildings and castles. The curved rooftops look awesome and the historical significance is intriguing. We don't have super old buildings in the US as it is a relatively new country. The Native Americans occupied North America before anyone else and many of them were nomadic, so building castles wasn't a high priority.
During our travels we got a chance to stop in Nagasaki and see the Hirado Castle.
The Hirado Castle was originally built in 1599. What we see now is the result of a full restoration project, which was completed in 1962.
The original castle was built for Lord Matsura of Hirado after he returned as a war hero from battles on the Korean Peninsula.
The castle overlooks the Hirado harbor which served as a major trading post between Japan and Europe at the time.
A torii gate at the entrance to the castle:
A shrine along the entrance:
Within the castle there were many valuable items and cultural treasures from the time when Lord Matsura of Hirado was alive.
Check out the samurai armor:
The view from the top:
From a distance:
Michelle and I recently took a month to travel across Japan and China. It was epic! Follow me @slickwilly and Michelle @curiouser for posts about our adventures!
- All pictures are my own taken with a GS7 Edge or GoPro Hero 4. I release everything under CC0 unless otherwise stated.
