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[[Mori Terumoto]] began construction on a castle located on an island in the delta of the Otagawa (in [[Aki Province]]) in [[1589]]. The work on the moats and walls was finished in [[1593]], but it took until [[1599]] for the tenshu and other buildings to be completed. Mori called this part of his lands [[Hiroshima]] (wide island). Shortly after finding himself on the losing side at the [[Battle Of Sekigahara]] in [[1600]], this part of the Mori holdings was given to the [[Asano]] clan who held it until the [[Meiji Restoration]] in [[1871]]. As happened to many castles during this era, all of the buildings except for the tenshu were destroyed by the government (castles were seen as a potential center for rebellions against the Imperial government).
[[Emperor Meiji]] lived in the castle for seven months during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, and during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, the castle was used as a barracks for troops.
The castle’s most notorious role in history, however, was being destroyed by the first nuclear attack on Japan in 1945. The atomic bomb completely obliterated the tenshu. However, in a testament to the effectiveness of the Japanese style of building walls, the ishigaki remained relatively untouched.
Reconstruction of the tenshu was begun in 1958. Using the original plans for the castle, it is an exact replica of the original (albeit a concrete reproduction, not built through traditional construction methods) and is built on the original foundation. The tenshu measures 118 feet in height and is 5 stories tall. It is built in the opulent early Momoyama style. The interior space is devoted to a museum.
[[Category:Castles]]
[[Emperor Meiji]] lived in the castle for seven months during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, and during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, the castle was used as a barracks for troops.
The castle’s most notorious role in history, however, was being destroyed by the first nuclear attack on Japan in 1945. The atomic bomb completely obliterated the tenshu. However, in a testament to the effectiveness of the Japanese style of building walls, the ishigaki remained relatively untouched.
Reconstruction of the tenshu was begun in 1958. Using the original plans for the castle, it is an exact replica of the original (albeit a concrete reproduction, not built through traditional construction methods) and is built on the original foundation. The tenshu measures 118 feet in height and is 5 stories tall. It is built in the opulent early Momoyama style. The interior space is devoted to a museum.
[[Category:Castles]]