Iwakuni+Castle

Iwakuni castle was built by Kikkawa Hiroie, a Japanese daimyo during the early Edo period. This was going to be his very own castle. Construction for the castle began in 1601. Seven years later, the castle was completed. This castle is located in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan. Its location was specifically chosen because it provided strong defensive advantages with it. It is upon a mountain and surrounded by a moat. It faces the Sea of Aki and the bridge that resides at the castle, the Kintai-kyo Bridge, is known as one of the 3 great bridges. This was built without a single nail and spans about 200 meters in length, 5 meters in width.

The Iwakuni castle was later disassembled in 1615. This was due to the Ikkoku-ichijo order, which translated to "one castle per province." The castle was reconstructed in 1962. It was going to be reassembled on a hill above the Nishiki River. The castle is four stories tall. Today, it has been around longer than the original castle by several years. Within the castle there are samurai swords and similar items on display from the time. On the observation deck, you can see a panoramic view of Iwakuni. In 2006, this castle was named one of Japan's top 100 castles by the Japanese Castle Foundation.