Hiroshima-jo Castle, Hiroshima

Hiroshima-jo Castle is a historic castle called “One of the Great Castle on the Plains in Japan” along with Nagoya-jo Castle and Okayama-jo Castle. In 1931 the castle tower was designated as a national treasure, but it was completely destroyed by the atomic bomb of the great war. After that, the castle has repeatedly restored and is now in a beautiful shape. The current castle tower has become a historical material museum based on the theme of samurai culture and from there you can see the city inside Hiroshima. Hiroshima-jo Castle is within easy walking distance of the Atomic Bomb Dome and has good access as a sightseeing spot, enabling you to enjoy the views of the seasons on a vast site.
The Hiroshima castle in the Edo era had a wide compartment of about 1 kilometer square, surrounded by a triple moat, and the Ota River was also used as a natural moat. But currently there are Honmaru (centre of a castle), Ninomaru (second bailey) and Uchibori (inner moat) as a castle in Hiroshima. However, it is still the largest castle in the western Japan.
The castle tower of Hiroshima-jo Castle was said to have been blown away by the influence of the atomic bomb dropped near in 1945. In fact, however, the castle tower was not blown away by the blast, but it was found to have collapsed by the weight of the castle tower itself. The present castle tower was built on a reinforced concrete foundation in 1958, restored by decorating the exterior with a board.
You can enjoy the views of the seasons in Hiroshima-jo Castle. There are more than 400 cherry trees, including Someiyoshino, around the outside of the moat. This place is popular as one of the leading cherry-blossom viewing spots in Hiroshima city. Also, in the autumn, the inside of the park is dyed red with beautiful autumn leaves, and in the winter the castle which made snow makeup in winter shows a majestic appearance. Hiroshima Castle shows various expressions throughout the four seasons.
Access to Hiroshima Castle, take JR Hiroshima station on a tram for 15 minutes, get off at “Kamiyacho-higashi” stop and walk 15 minutes. Alternatively, if you use the bus from JR Hiroshima Station, take a 15-minute ride and get off at the bus stop “Kamiyacho”, 15 minutes on foot. From the train window you can enjoy a tasty city sightseeing, so it is recommended to visit by tram.
Speaking of Hiroshima, Peace Memorial Park and Atomic Bomb Dome are famous, but Hiroshima-jo Castle is also a popular spot. When you visit Hiroshima, please stop by Hiroshima-jo Castle.

The typical city developed as a modern castle town

The starting point of the town in Hiroshima — it is no exaggeration to say that it is in the Hiroshima-jo castle.
The town of Hiroshima prospered very much as a castle town of Hiroshima-jo Castle since Hiroshima-jo Castle was born in the last stage of the Age of Civil Wars approximately 400 years ago.
Hiroshima is the typical city which developed as a modern castle town.

Proud of the most numerous towers in Japan

The Hiroshima-jo Castle is representative of the initial modern castles with Osaka-jo Castle and Okayama-jo Castle. According to “Memorandum of Hiroshima Domain” written in the middle of Edo era, it is said that the three-fold and 5-fold main tower group, and 88 sets of the towers, which are proud of the most numerous in the castle of Japan, were built in the vast inside of the castle of about 900,000 square meters of width.
The large castle tower founded by Terumoto MORI was the old main tower which ranks next to the Okayama-jo Castle, until collapses by an atomic bombing of 1945

Designated as the national treasure

The value as the historic relics of the Hiroshima-jo castle was also evaluated, and the castle tower was designated as the national treasure in 1931.
The buildings remained since the Edo period in those days is the castle tower, part of the rear gate, the center gate, the front gate, the one-storey turret, the Tamonyagura (hall turrets) of the Ninomaru (second bailey), the Taiko yagura (drum turret).

The castle were destroyed by the atomic bombing

However, the castle tower of Hiroshima-jo Castle collapsed, and the gate and the oar were destroyed by fire, and all the buildings in the castle were destroyed by the atomic bombing of August 6, 1945.

Chosen one of the top 100 castles in Japan

The current castle tower restored the appearance as part of a Hiroshima revival Great Exhibition having been held to convey revival of Hiroshima in 1958 inside and out. Now, the inside is the historical museum introduced focusing on samurai culture.
In 2006, Hiroshima-jo Castle was chosen one of the “Nihon 100 meijo” (top 100 castles in Japan).

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