Himeji Castle: Then and Now
The best-preserved of Japan's original castles, its white keep completed in 1609; it survived the Meiji demolitions and the bombing of 1945.
Historical view
Today
Key facts
| Country today | Japan |
| Status | Standing |
| Date | 1609 |
| Nearest city on the map | Osaka (about 75 km) |
| Location | 34.839° N, 134.694° E |
Himeji CastleOpen Himeji Castle in the interactive map
Who ruled this place
Derived from the border maps; each row runs until the next recorded border change.
| Period | State |
|---|---|
| 500 BC–401 BC | Late Jomon culture |
| 400 BC–324 BC | Yayoi |
| 323 BC–99 | Unclaimed / no data |
| 100–199 | Yayoi |
| 200–499 | Unclaimed / no data |
| 500–799 | Yamato |
| 800–899 | Japan |
| 900–999 | Yamato |
| 1000–1299 | Imperial Japan (Fujiwara) |
| 1300–1399 | Shogun Japan (Kamakura) |
| 1400–1491 | Ashikaga Shogunate |
| 1492–1599 | Japan |
| 1600–1649 | Japan (Warring States) |
| 1650–1782 | Tokugawa shogunate |
| 1783–1879 | Japan |
| 1880–1913 | Imperial Japan |
| 1914–1944 | Empire of Japan |
| 1945–1959 | Japan (USA) |
| 1960–today | Japan |
Other landmarks nearby
Tōdai-jiStanding · AD 752
Hiroshima Peace MemorialRuins · 1915
More: Historic landmarks of Japan · All landmarks
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.