Defending the Castle
Gates
A series of sturdy gates and gatehouses protects the entrance to Himeji Castle. The twenty-one surviving gates were built in the elegant architectural style of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568–1603). If the castle came under attack, the gates would prevent attackers from rushing directly into the residences at the center of the castle. The gates’ narrow entryways, some of which are barely wide enough for two people, forced the attackers into deadly bottlenecks.