HistoryHimeji was constructed in 1346 by the Akamatsu family, as a defense against local shoguns. The next change in control of the castle was that of Hideyoshi, who took over in 1577 when Oda Nobunaga claimed the Harima district. During his time at Himeji, Hideyoshi built the castle up until it had over 30 turrets. The castle was then given to Ikeda Terumasa in 1601 by Tokugawa Ieyasu because of his support against the Toyotomi daimyo, and Terumasa promptly began a 9 year construction project to model it after the Emperor's castle in Azuchi. This project led to the design that we see today, which has lasted over 300 years. In 1931, Himeji was designated a national treasure. Restoration work was done on the castle spanning from 1956 to 1964, and it was then put on the UNESCO list of World Culture and Heritage Sites.
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