🏯Do Japanese castles all seem the same?🏯

Have you ever been to a castle in Japan? Do you wonder what types of castles they are, who constructed them, and when?

Many Singaporeans, and even Japanese, have told me that "all castles look the same," "they are big and cool, but I don't really understand them," or "anyways, they look good on Instagram.”😅💦

When I travel, I like to learn about the country's history, who built them, and what they represent.

I believe that having such prior knowledge makes your excursions more enjoyable, memorable, and beneficial to your own education.😊

In this post, I have prepared a subject for beginners who are unfamiliar with Japanese history, so that you can differentiate between each castle and brag about them to your traveling companions.😁

Japan now has two main types of castles: white castles and black castles.🏯

The castle in the photo is one I visited on New Year's Day in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture.

It's white.

The other image is of Okayama Castle in Okayama Prefecture, right next to Hiroshima. It's black.

What's the difference? 🤔

The answer is simple: their qualities vary based on the era in which they were built.

It depends on whether it was built during the period of war or the period of peace that followed. In brief, it is whether the castle was built before or after 1600.

The Sengoku period, which is typically depicted in Japanese samurai games, lasted from the middle of the 15th century until the beginning of the 17th century.

This was a period of war, and black lacquer was chosen because it was difficult to find at night and had great antibacterial and heat resistance capabilities.

So the castle built in this era is black.⚔️

On the other hand, we have the Edo era.

This was a reasonably calm period that began in the 17th century.

During this period, castle lords used beautiful white castles to demonstrate their supremacy.✨

Looking at it this way, don't you believe there are plenty of alternative ways to appreciate it?

When visiting a black castle, it may be fun to go at night, stare at the castle standing quietly in the pitch dark (like a ninja haha), and imagine things like, "It sure is hard to attack," lol!🥷

Thank you

Taichi