HYOGO, Jun 04, 2026 - A section of wall plaster and part of a roof eave were found damaged at Himeji Castle, the UNESCO World Heritage site in Hyogo Prefecture, on June 4th, with officials investigating whether strong winds from Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) were responsible.
City officials discovered the damage during an inspection on the morning of June 4th. The affected area is located on a turret situated on the northern side of the castle's main keep, where sections of the white plaster wall and part of the roof edge had peeled away.
Himeji City said it is still assessing the full extent of the damage. However, officials believe the deterioration may have been caused by powerful winds associated with Typhoon Jangmi, which made landfall in southern Wakayama Prefecture on June 3rd before moving across western and central Japan.
Known as Japan's most famous castle, Himeji Castle was the country's first site to be inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage property. Often referred to as the "White Heron Castle" because of its striking white exterior, the centuries-old structure is considered one of Japan's finest surviving examples of feudal-era castle architecture.
The damage discovered following Typhoon Jangmi is not unusual for Himeji Castle, whose iconic white exterior relies on a traditional lime-based plaster known as shikkui. Exposure to rain, strong winds, temperature fluctuations and typhoons gradually wears down the protective coating, requiring regular maintenance to safeguard the castle's underlying wooden and earthen structures.
The castle has undergone several major restoration projects over the past century. One of the first modern preservation efforts was carried out between 1910 and 1911, when the government funded repairs after years of neglect following the Meiji Restoration, helping prevent further deterioration of the historic landmark.
A far larger undertaking followed during the Great Showa Restoration from 1956 to 1964. Considered one of the most ambitious castle preservation projects in Japan's history, the work involved dismantling much of the main keep, inspecting its foundations, and repairing or replacing key structural components before rebuilding the structure. Massive cypress pillars were installed as part of the project, which required approximately 250,000 man-days of labor and cost 550 million yen.
Himeji Castle also demonstrated remarkable resilience during the Great Hanshin Earthquake in January 1995. Despite the powerful quake that devastated parts of Hyogo Prefecture, the castle suffered only minor damage, with experts crediting its traditional wooden construction and flexible structural design for its survival.
Most recently, the castle underwent the extensive Heisei Restoration between 2009 and 2015. The six-year project included replastering exterior walls, repairing weathered sections, replacing about 16,000 roof tiles, and restoring the castle's renowned white appearance. Costing approximately 2.4 billion yen, the restoration attracted national attention when scaffolding was removed in 2015, revealing a dramatically brighter exterior that many visitors said looked almost new.
Source: KTV NEWS
