# Okayama Castle

- **Country:** Japan
- **Coordinates:** 34.665181, 133.936053
- **Location Text:** Okayama, Okayama

Okayama Castle, located in Okayama City within Okayama Prefecture, Japan, is a historic fortress originally constructed between 1346 and 1369 by the Nawa clan. The structure underwent significant remodeling starting in 1570 under Ukita Naoie and was completed in its most famous form by his son, Ukita Hideie, in 1597. Architecturally, it represents the Azuchi-Momoyama style, distinguished by its striking black exterior which earned it the nickname Crow Castle. This dark aesthetic contrasted sharply with the white Himeji Castle nearby, though prior to the Battle of Sekigahara, the main keep featured gilded roof tiles that briefly led to it being called the Golden Crow Castle.

The castle holds deep historical significance tied to the turbulent Sengoku period and the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate. After Hideie sided with the losing Toyotomi clan at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, he was exiled, and the fortress passed to the Kobayakawa and subsequently the Ikeda clans. The Ikeda family ruled for over two centuries and added the renowned Korakuen garden. Following the Meiji Restoration in 1869, the government deemed such structures archaic, leading to the filling of moats and dismantling of many buildings. Tragically, the original main tower was destroyed during a United States air raid on June 29, 1945, leaving only two watchtowers and sections of stone walls intact.

Today, the site serves as a public park and cultural landmark. The main donjon was reconstructed using concrete in 1966 to replicate the original appearance, while the two surviving turrets from the Edo period are designated as Important Cultural Properties by the national Agency for Cultural Affairs. Although only select roof ornaments remain gilded today, the castle stands as a testament to the region's feudal history and architectural evolution, attracting visitors interested in its unique black facade and resilient past.

![Photo of Okayama Castle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Okayama_Castle%2C_November_2016_-04.jpg)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okayama_Castle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)