In Nagano province, the black silhouette of Matsumoto Castle stands out against the snowy horizon of the Japanese Alps. This 16th-century monument, one of the last twelve authentic Japanese medieval ...

During Japan’s Sengoku “Warring States” era (1467-1615), castles were constructed, bolstered and fortified all across the Japanese archipelago, resulting in approximately 5,000 individual keeps.

Gujo Hachiman Castle is a mountain castle located in Gujo City, Gifu Prefecture. This castle is known as one of Japan’s most beautiful wooden castles. In recent years, it has also been called Gifu ...

In 1853, following two centuries of near complete isolation, a fleet of U.S. Navy ships forced Japan to open to trade at the point of a cannon. Yet certain aspects of the country have always remained ...