Hiroshima Castle

In 1592, Hiroshima Castle was founded and construction began by Mōri Terumoto, who was a powerful and feared feudal lord, who ruled the Mōri Samurai Clan. The castle construction period was from 1592 through until 1599.

Hiroshima castle is quite a unique castle located in the center of Hiroshima city. Traditionally, Japanese castles are built atop large hills, but as you can see from the image above, the castle is built on a flat surface. Despite this, you can still get an amazing view from the viewing area on the 5th floor. Even though it didn’t have a natural barrier of the hill, it still survived several centuries.

The original 1589 Castle survived until World War II, where it was destroyed by the Atomic Bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima by the United States of America on August 6th, 1945. The wooden castle stood no chance against the atomic blast, which was dropped only about one kilometer away from Hiroshima Castle. Unlike most castles in Japan, the Hiroshima Castle was not destroyed during the Meji restoration, which lead to most historic monuments in Japan to be destroyed. Reconstruction began a few years after the bombing.

There are 2 main sections to the castle, the main keep, and the gardens. Both sections of the castle served as the castle town of Hiroshima – which means that it was the economic center of Hiroshima, as well as the physical center of the city. Back in the day, The castle was an essential part of the Hiroshima economy, and thus was heavily armed in case of attack, and was actively used since the construction completed in the late 1500’s. through unto the day it was destroyed in 1945. 13 years following the war when the economy of Hiroshima had re-established itself again following the bombing, the castle which is seen today was built on the spot of its predecessor following original designs. 

However, in modern times, the castle and the castle gardens are a tourist attraction, and contain an informative museum, with some fantastic views of the city!