The Hiroshima Castle you see today is only a replica of the real thing. The original castle was destroyed during the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. After the reconstruction, the main keep now served as a historical museum that features the history of the area before the World War II, and also the history of even before the Edo Period.
About Hiroshima Castle
Hiroshima Castle, also known as the “Carp Castle”, is a place one of the landmarks of Hiroshima that is frequented by fellow visitors, locals and foreigners alike. Constructed in 1589 by the daimyo (feudal lord) Moto Terumori, where Hiroshima does not yet exist, and the area is known as Gokamura (or “Five Villages”). The daimyo soon renamed the area from Gokamura to Hiroshima.
Hiroshima Castle Before And After
Hiroshima Castle was originally as a castle town, where the town is formed around the castle which also functions as the economic center of the area. During the Meiji Restoration in 1868, an event that restored the practical power of the imperial system and dissolution of the feudal system, a number of castles were dismantled, but Hiroshima Castle was spared, where it was used as Imperial General Headquarters.
Even though it survived the demolition during the Meiji Restoration, Hiroshima Castle falls down to a crumble by the atomic bomb dropped onto Hiroshima during the final stage of World War II in 1945. The main keep was restored thirteen years later, and the inside of it is being made into a museum. The castle’s second circle of defense, the Ninomaru, had also recently undergone a restoration process.
Hiroshima Castle Museum
The main keep now serves as an informative historical museum that tells the story of the samurai culture, other Japanese castle’s history, as well as Hiroshima’s history even prior to the Edo period (before the year 1603). The museum also held a number of special events and exhibitions across the year, to educate and raise awareness of the history of Hiroshima.
The museum makes full use of the whole 5 floors of the main keep, where the first two floors feature a lot of informative information about the history and culture Hiroshima. Meanwhile, the third showcases weapons and armours exhibits, and the fourth floor is the special exhibits. The top-most floor is an observation platform, and you can have a good view of Hiroshima city from above.
- Spot name: Hiroshima Castle
- Street address: 21-1 Motomachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima-ken 730-0011, Japan
- Business Hour:
- Hiroshima Castle (Main Keep)
- Mar-Nov: 9 AM to 6 PM (last admission: 5:30 PM)
- Dec-Feb: 9 AM to 5 PM (last admission: 4:30 PM)
- Ninomaru Area
- Apr-Sep: 9 AM to 5:30 PM (last admission: 5 PM)
- Oct-Mar: 9 AM to 4:30 PM (last admission: 4 PM)
- Admission Fee:
- Hiroshima Castle (Main Keep):
- Adult: 370 yen (around RM14)
- Senior (above 65) & school students: 180 yen (around RM7)
- Ninomaru Area: Free
- Access:
- 10-minute walk south of Johoku Station
- 8-minute walk west of Shukkeien-mae Station
- 12-minute walk north Kencho-mae Station
- 14-minute on the bus from Hiroshima Station
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