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Okayama Castle
Scale: 1/300
Skill Level: medium
Size (LxWxH): 145x210x160 mm (5x8x6 inch)
The architectural beauty of this castle is remarkable, as it faithfully embodies the Azuchi-Momoyama culture, blending elements from Azuchi Castle and Toyotomi's Osaka Castle. Okayama Castle, showcasing the evolution of Japanese castle tower architecture, has been meticulously recreated as a 1/300 scale paper craft model.
| Product type | Papermodel |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Facet |
| Scale | 1/300 |
| Designer | Shigeru Ishihara |
| Difficulty | medium |
| Sheet size | DIN A4 |
| Sheets | 5 |
| Parts | 81 |
| Length | 145 mm (5.71 inch) |
| Width | 210 mm (8.27 inch) |
| Height | 160 mm (6.3 inch) |
| Bauanleitung | Pictures |
Okayama Castle served as the stronghold of the Ukita clan during the Sengoku period. Completed in 1597 by Hideie Ukita, eldest son of Naoie Ukita, over an eight-year period, it was intended to be a fitting castle for a powerful Toyotomi feudal lord. The castle originally featured a moat on its western side but lacked one on the eastern side, making it vulnerable. To bolster its defenses, the nearby Asahi River was redirected from the north to create a natural moat on the east side.
The castle's main tower is a complex watchtower-style structure with five stories and six floors, featuring a polygonal first floor. Its exterior was originally adorned with black lacquered clapboards and gold leaf tiles, characteristic of the Toyotomi period.
Designated a national treasure in 1931, the castle tower was tragically destroyed during the Okayama air raid on June 29, 1945. Efforts are currently underway to restore its exterior.
