Being on a mountaintop, Himeji Castle is an ideal place for both functions and thus, it was set in every lord's heart. In 1580, Yoshitaka Kuroda, then-owner of the castle presented it to Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.

Following the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, during which Toyotomi's loyalist clans were defeated by Ieyasu Tokugawa, founder of the Edo period which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the Himeji Castle was rewarded to Tokugawa's son-in-law, Terumasa Ikeda. Ikeda completely rebuilt and expanded the castle between 1601-09, transforming it into the complex seen today. It makes Himeji Castle one of only 12 castles nationally to retain their original central keeps from the Edo period or earlier.

'Finest surviving example'

UNESCO's World Heritage List calls Himeji Castle "the finest surviving example of early 17th-century Japanese castle architecture" and "a masterpiece of construction in wood, combining function with aesthetic appeal."

Besides the untouched nature and majestic build, there is a ghost story dating back to the 16th century that took place in Himeji Castle. The 2002 blockbuster horror movie The Ring was based on it.

The story goes like this: lord of Himeji Castle, Tessan Aoyama, fell in love with his servant girl Okiku. He offered to leave his wife for her but she refused his advances.

One of Okiku's duties was to look after 10 valuable golden plates owned by Aoyama. One day, he hid one of them.

He told Okiku that if she didn't agree to be with him, he would blame her for stealing the plate and she would be tortured and executed.

Rejecting the lord again, Okiku was then hung above a well where Aoyama tortured her by dipping her head first into the water and beating her when she came up. In the end, Okiku collapsed and died. This is where the spooky story begins.

Locals said Okiku would crawl out of the well on a nightly basis and haunt the castle, counting the plates and throwing a violent screaming fit when she found the 10th was missing. The sound eventually drove Aoyama mad. The well, known as Okiku's Well, can be found outside Himeji Castle sealed with wrought-iron bars.

The final of the three premier castles is Matsumoto.

Unlike most others, Matsumoto Castle is a flatland castle built on a plain within easy reach of Tokyo. With no hilltop or rivers to use as defenses, Matsumoto Castle has an extensive system of interconnecting walls, moats and gatehouses.

Because of its black exterior, it is also known as the "Crow Castle".

In the winter over 2021-22, Crow Castle received some dazzling doses of nighttime color. In a public art project, the castle was used as a canvas for a laser mapping light display. Colorful illuminations lit up the castle, creating an amazing mirror effect.

"The Crow Castle had been a spectacular place to look at from every angle, but now at night may be the best way to imbibe its magic, in the full glow of the laser lights ..."said one comment on Twitter of the event.