Miharu Castle, Mountain castle ruins in Miharu, Japan
Miharu Castle is a Japanese fortress located on a hillside in a rural village. The ruins reveal the layout of residential quarters at the top and military structures below, with the defensive positions surveying the surrounding slopes.
The castle was built in 1504 by Tamura Yoshiaki and served as a strategic stronghold during Japan's feudal period. It fell out of use after 1868 when the country underwent major political transformation and fortifications lost their military purpose.
The site takes its name from the surrounding village and serves as a focal point for understanding the region's feudal past. Locals and visitors view the hillside as a place that connects them to the lives of samurai and provincial rulers from centuries ago.
The hillside is accessible on foot and the walk to the top takes only a few minutes depending on your starting point. A smartphone application provides information along the way and shows what the structures looked like in earlier times.
The castle reconstruction project draws from historical drawings made during the Edo Period that are preserved in a local museum. These ancient plans allow modern visitors to see the vanished structures through their phones as they walk the grounds.
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