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.

Japanese castles are familiar to movie lovers, gamers, and anyone interested in world history. Their iconic designs and impressive appearance are a stark contrast to the castles of Europe. Matsumoto ...

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 ...

There’s something about castles that tugs at the imagination. Maybe it’s the hint of romance in their towers, or the way they ...