During my recent trip to Japan, I photographed a number of castles and museums. Of the former, there were pictures of: (1) Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, (originally built in 1333) – the white “Egret” Castle, one of the top three castles in Japan; (2) Tokyo’s Imperial Palace – formally the site of Edo Castle and now the home of the Emperor and his family; and, (3) Okayama Castle – the black “Crow” Castle next to Korakuen Gardens (a premier Japanese garden.)
Castles were built near strategic sites, crossroads, and waterways. They have a number of defensive mechanisms, such as moats, gates, archery loopholes, “stone-drop” windows (also used for pouring boiling oil on intruders below them, steep walls, narrow passageways, and for luck – giant tiger- or dragon-headed carp fish gargoyles known as “shachi.” Because they were the strongest fortresses, castles often housed the shogun, and thus were the centerpieces of the shogunate that ruled all of Japan.
Of the latter, I visited the National Museum, The National Museum of Western Art, and the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo; (2) the Himeji City Museum of Art; and, (3) The Coca-Cola Bottling Museum in Ebino. By touring different sized museums, in different sized locales, with unique regional differences, I saw a cross-sampling of Japanese art, craft, and cultural on display. In this video, peek at their collections and come away with positive impressions of the scope and breath of the works displayed not only in major cities like Tokyo, but also in smaller townships like Himeji. When you visit again in the future, I’m sure there will be more and different arts and crafts to enjoy.