Himeji Castle renovation is now underway

     

It was 9 a.m. on the 9th of October that the first steps were taken toward the restortation of Himeji castle’s main tower. The five-and-a-half year project is known in Japanese as the Heisei no Daishuri (平成の大修理) which translates in to the Heisei great repairs. The work being undertaken won’t be as in depth as the Showa great repairs (1956 – 1964), which made many structural repairs including replacing one of the central pillars and the rebuilding & concrete re-enforcement of the base of the main tower.

Currently, only the surveying for a special structure that will cover the main tower is taking place. Upon completion in 2014 though, about 80,000 roof tiles will have been replaced in addition to the replastering of seven square kilometres of the tower’s external walls. Within the special structure a visitor’s room will be built allowing people to see the restoration process up close.

Read more on the previous major restoration here.

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  • http://www.poolofzen.com コルーズ・真秀

    They should help fund the project by selling off the old roof tiles! I’d buy one, that would be awesome.

  • admin

    That is funny. I had the exact same thought. You’d be seeing them on E-bay or Yahoo auction for an eternity.

    A while back I was visiting Hagi where the opposite was happening. At the front of the large, dilapidated temple you could purchase new roof tiles & write a message on the back that they would then use when they finally got around to rebuilding it.

  • http://www.poolofzen.com コルーズ・真秀

    Hey again,

    Have you been to Himeji Castle? It is really cool. I’ve only been to about 5 Japanese Castles and it is my favorite. When the renovations are done you have to make the trip. You may enjoy the thread on The Pool of Zen on Himeji-jo. Here’s the link to the full thread, http://www.poolofzen.com/search/label/Himeji%20Castle . Let me know what you think. My favorite is Harakiri Maru!

    Later!

    Matt

  • admin

    Hi again Matt,

    I am very keen to get back to Himeji once the renovations are complete. But five years! Oh well, just have to be patient. As for the posts on your website regarding Himeji, very enjoyable. I enjoyed the pics too. Ah, so to answer your question, yes, I have visited, twice but I don’t think I got to see the Harakiri Maru, so it was good to see such clear pictures.

    Thanks again.