The history of Himeji Castle in Japan can be traced back to 1333, when a fort was built on Himeyama Hill by Akamatsu Norimura, the ruler of Harima Province. Later, in 1346, the fort was replaced by Himeyama Castle by Norimura’s son, Sadanori, thus laying the foundation for what would eventually become the iconic Himeji Castle.
In 1545, the Kuroda clan also began remodeling the castle into what became Himeji Castle in Japan. They completed the work in 1561. In 1580, the castle was given to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who added a three-story keep in 1581.
In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu gave the castle to Ikeda Terumasa. Subsequently, between 1601 and 1609, Ikeda demolished Hideyoshi’s keep and rebuilt the castle, thereby transforming it into the structure we see today
During the Meiji Period (1868–1912), many castles were destroyed. the Castle was abandoned in 1871. Some parts got demolished to make way for military barracks. A local resident purchased the castle at an auction for 23 yen (about 200,000 yen today). He had initially planned to tear it down, but the high cost of demolition led him to decide to renovate it instead.
for reference
