Mihara Castle Ruins

Mihara, Japan, Japan

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Mihara Castle Ruins in Mihara, Hiroshima, Japan, are the remains of a 16th‑century seaside fortress once known as the “floating castle” because it was built by connecting two small islands at the mouth of the Numata River, giving it the appearance of floating on the Inland Sea.

The castle was constructed in 1567 by Kobayakawa Takakage, son of the powerful Mori clan leader Motonari, to strengthen control of the coastline and support the Mori navy, which played a major role in Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s campaigns in Shikoku, Kyushu, and Korea.

In its day it was a large and formidable structure with three baileys, 32 corner turrets, and 14 gates, and it featured the largest keep foundation ever built in Japan, although an actual keep was never completed.