VENUES

This is one of Japan’s major castles of the type built on a hill (Mount Tsuru in this case) in the plains. It was constructed by Tadamasa Mori, the youngest brother of Mori Ranmaru, who perished along with Nobunaga Oda in the Honnoji Incident. It had massive walls that were built in three tiers to a height of 45 meters from the base, and more than 60 turrets. However, the entire structure was torn down after issuance of the order for the abolition of castles by the Meiji new government. The Bitchu turret on the southeast side of the castle keep was restored in 2005 in a project to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the castle’s construction.