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The White Fortress, Himeji-jyo

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An elegant castle overlooks the city of Himeji.

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Himeji-jyo is also known as the Castle of the White Heron.

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It looks like a white heron gracefully taking off

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into flight. The combination of rigid straight lines and elegant curving roofs

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folding over the white

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earthen walls makes for great beauty. Himeji-jyo was built at the end of the age

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of civil wars,

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at the end of the 16th century. It's a unique military site

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with various defense devices and designs.

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When the enemy makes an assault on the castle, various traps await them.

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The first entrance to the fortress is the Hishi Gate.

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With a gate before their eyes, what more do you expect than for them to make an

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attempt to break through it?

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The assailants will no doubt head for the gate,

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however, there are two hidden spaces designed for warriors to attack the

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invaders

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from behind.

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Usually the enemies succeed in breaking through the gate, waiting for them beyond

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on numerous holes in the walls.

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Called Hatsuma, they're holes through which guns and arrows were fired.

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Enemy fighters who succeed in breaking through this heavy fire

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find another design to delay their invasion as they head

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upwards. The narrow and long steep path goes on and once

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around the bend, a curious thing happens.

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Their destination, the tower, which was right before their eyes, suddenly

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vanishes from view and is situated behind.

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The bewildered attackers lose their sense of orientation.

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Emeji-jyo was erected

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as an impregnable castle, however it faced a great crisis.

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On the 3rd of July 1945,

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Emeji was heavily bombed by American B-29s.

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Most of the town was reduced to ashes and beyond the rubble stood the Emeji-jyo,

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the only unscarred building in sight.

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400 years after it was built, the White Fortress,

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Emeji-jyo, stands without ever having fallen into the hands of its invaders.

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It's an outstanding example

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of world heritage.