Hiji Castle

Hiji Castle (日出城, Hiji-jō), also known as Yōkoku Castle, Aoyagi Castle, and Ukitsu Castle, was a castle located in Hiji, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. The construction of the castle began in 1601, under Kinoshita Nobutoshi's orders, when he was transferred to Hiji from Himeji. The castle was designed by Nobutoshi's brother-in-law, Hosokawa Tadaoki. It held a strategic location, as it overlooked Beppu Bay. The castle was destroyed after the Hiji Domain was abolished during the Meiji era. Today, the castle's ruins (all that remains are the stone walls and the Sumi yagura) are a park, though Hiji Elementary School is also located on the grounds.

Text adapted from “Hiji Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Hiji Castle ranks #4,018 of 8,134 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #201 of the 297 mapped in Japan. Founded 1601, it is older than 32% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 626 atlas entries founded in the 17th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,168 times in the last 60 days, more than 53% of the atlas. 2 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Kumamoto, 99 km away. It is one of the 37 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of Kyushu. See how Japan compares in the castle statistics.

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