Himeji Castle is one of the 12 original castles in Japan. The first castle on this site dated back to 1346. It was significantly remodeled in 1581 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi who added a three-story castle keep. Ikeda Terumasa completely rebuilt the castle from 1601 to 1609, expanding it into a large castle complex. Several buildings were later added to the castle complex by Honda Tadamasa from 1617 to 1618. For almost 700 years, Himeji Castle has remained intact.