Himeji Castle
Unknown (traditional master builders) · Himeji, Japan · 1609
The surviving keep complex of Himeji Castle was largely rebuilt between 1601 and 1609 under daimyo Ikeda Terumasa, who commissioned and oversaw the work. The names of the individual master builders are not established in the way a modern architect would be credited. Its layered defensive routes, white plastered walls, timber structure and interconnected keeps make Himeji one of Japan's most complete surviving early-modern castle complexes.