JAPAN TRAVEL GUIDE

Hiroshima Castle

　Hiroshima Castle was established by Mori Terumoto, one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's council of Five Great Elders. It is representative of a flatland canstle.
　In the Nambokucho period (14th century), the Mori family members was overlords of Koriyama Castle in Yoshida (about 45km north-east of Hiroshima), but during the Sengoku(Warring States) period (from the latter half of the 15th century to the latter half of the 16th century), Terumoto's grandfather Motonari became the feudal lord of most of the Chugoku region. His successor, Temrumoto, established his castle in 1589 at the delta of of the Otagawa River called at the time 'Gokamura (Five Villagers)', and entered the castle in 1591 to govern nine provinces that today comprise Hiroshima, Shimane , Yamaguchi and parts of Tottori and Okayama Prefectures.
　In 1600, following the battle of Sekigahara. Terumoto was forced to retreat to Hagi (Yamaguchi Pfef.)and Fukushima Masanori from Kiyosu (Aichi Pref.) became the lord of Aki and Bingo provinces (present day HIroshima Pref.). However, as a penalty for restoring the castle from the flood of 1619 without the permission of the Tokugawa shogunate, Masanori was dismissed to Kawanakajima (Nagano Pfef.). Asano Nagaakira then became the lord of Aki and the 8 counties of Bingo. The Asano family, 12 generations , continued to hold this position for the 250 years up to the Meiji restoration.
　Following the abolition of feudal domins and the establishment of prefectures in 1871, the castel gradually came to serve more as a military facility, where the Imperial General Headquarter came to be established during the Sino-Japanese war of 1894/95.
　On August 6th 1945, the castle was destoryed by the atomic bomb blast. The present tower was reconstructed in 1958 and is now used to exhibit historic artifacts.

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Sunset time of Hiroshima Castle

Detail