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Himeji Castle is a magnificent fortress originally constructed
in 1346 and is a magnificent example of Japanese castle
design and architectural technique. At the World Heritage
Committee of UNESCO in December 1993, Himeji Castle was
given the World Cultural Heritage status. The five-storey
donjon (or dungeon) is a wooden castle structure which includes
towers, stone ramparts, and earthern walls, and are one
of the best preserved. It is built of wood, some 360 tons
in all, and the white plaster that covers its walls serves
as fire and water protection. Amazingly, it has known neither
fire or battle in its centuries of existence. It is popularly
known as "White Heron Castle" because of its plaster-white
walls and donjon, giving the effect from a distance of a
white bird rising into the sky.
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