3Nagoya Castle, Japan
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Nagoya is probably the most unique castle on this list, sheerly because it’s on the her side of the world with a culture and architecture so much different from anything in the western world. It is also extremely beautiful. Nagoya Castle was built under the command of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of what became known as the Edo era, which lasted 265 years. It was built when it managed to unify the previously dispersed and warring states of Japan. A feature that Nagoya Castle is known for is its two golden shachihoko on top of the castle. A shachihoko, or shachi, are imaginary creatures with the body of a carp and the head of a lion or tiger. In Japanese mythology, it was believed that if there was a fire, the shachihoko would put it out by leaving the water. As a result, statues and illustrations of these creatures have a place around castles, temples, and homes for protection. When it was first built, there were many regulations and restrictions on castles that a golden shachihoko could have; Nagoya Castle is a very rare case. Click the next ARROW to see the next photo!
