Jul 25, 2020
Okayama Castle
The original building was started in 1573 by the feudal lord Ukita Naoie and completed by his son Hideie, in 1597, with the main keep having six floors. It is one of the few castles with a black exterior in Japan and was nicknamed Ujo - Crow Castle. In the 1600s the castle was taken over by the Ikeda clan where it and the town flourished and the outer gardens were built. In 1896 during the Meiji restoration its moats were filled in, and during WW2 it was mostly destroyed with only the tsukima-yagura (Moon-viewing turret) surviving. The castle was rebuilt in 1966 and has an elevator and museum inside.