Picture from: <http://arounddeglobe.com/himeji-castle-jewel-japanese-castle-architecture/>
The Himeji Castle served as a communications center and was designed as well for military use. It was built in the 13th century by Akamatsu Sadanori, to begin with it was used as a defensive fort against local shoguns. In 1577 Oda Nobunaga took control, and then Oda passed on control to another general by the name of Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi who made changes to the castle fortified the walls even more(more info in the “Military Section”). As time went on the Himeji castle was passed on to other rulers eventually made a historic site(in more depth in the “History Section”). Today the Himeji Castle is one of the most visited tourist sites on Japan, it is most busy especially around cherry blossoming season (April) because of how beautiful it is.