Hagi Castle
Hagi Castle (萩城, Hagi-jō), also known as Shizuki Castle, is a castle located in Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 Areal view of the castle grounds | |
| Location | Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Chūgoku region, Japan |
| Part of | "Hagi Proto-industrial Heritage / Hagi Castle Town" part of Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii), (iv) |
| Reference | 1484-004 |
| Inscription | 2015 (39th session) |
| Coordinates | |
  Location of Hagi Castle in Japan | |
History
Mōri Terumoto lost his holdings around Hiroshima and was moved to Hagi following the Battle of Sekigahara when he supported the losing side. He built Hagi Castle in 1604, and his family continued to rule over the Chōshū Domain until the Meiji Restoration. The castle was unusual as it was constructed mainly at the base of Mount Shizuki, though a few defences are located on the mountain.
In 1874, much of the castle was destroyed, leaving little but ruins.[1]
Today
Hagi Castle is a National Historic site. It was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 5, 2015 as part of the Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining. It is registered as part of Hagi's Castle Town.[2][3]
Main keep (tenshu) of Hagi Castle, before 1880
Ruins of the castle and the same view today
Sources
- "Hagi Castle". Archived from the original on 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
- "Hagi Castle Town". Archived from the original on 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
- "Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining".
Literature
- Benesch, Oleg and Ran Zwigenberg (2019). Japan's Castles: Citadels of Modernity in War and Peace. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 374. ISBN 9781108481946.
- Schmorleitz, Morton S. (1974). Castles in Japan. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Co. pp. 142–144. ISBN 0-8048-1102-4.
External links
