Following the completion of extensive renovation work, the main keep of Fukuyama Castle in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, reopens as an experience-based museum. (Hideshi Nishimoto)

Photo/Illutration Dressed in armor, a musket troop fires a celebratory salute to mark the 400th anniversary of Fukuyama Castle in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, on Aug. 28. (Hideshi Nishimoto)

FUKUYAMA, Hiroshima Prefecture--Fukuyama Castle is celebrating its 400th anniversary following extensive renovation work that remodeled the main keep into an experience-based museum and transformed its Tsukimi Yagura moon-viewing turret into a space for banquets and use as a bedroom for overnight guests.

The castle, located in the city center, was built by Mizuno Katsunari, the first lord of the Fukuyama Domain, who reported its completion to the Tokugawa Shogunate on Aug. 28, 1622.

During an Aug. 28 ceremony to mark completion of restoration work of the exterior, Mayor Naoki Edahiro noted that the city and the castle were destroyed by air raids during World War II and that the main keep was rebuilt afterward based on original blueprints.

Members of a musket troop called Bishu Okayama-jo Teppotai that was founded to pass down traditional gunnery skills of what was known as Bishu Province in feudal times joined the ceremony dressed in suits of armor to fire a salute.

The occasion marked the unveiling of the renovated main keep and exhibits utilizing digital imagery to recreate a bygone age.

One of the exhibits features the “Spearhead Race” that uses digital imagery to recreate the viewpoint of the first samurai warrior to breach the enemy line while a visitor sits astride a model horse.

Admission is 500 yen ($3.50) for adults and free for senior high school students and younger children.

Reservations must be made online in advance for the time being.

The first floor of the turret now serves as a space for banquets, while the second floor is allocated as a bedroom for overnight guests eager to experience what it feel like to be king of the castle.

Fukuyama city officials are hoping to offer overnight stays on a trial basis by the year-end. They are also considering other novel ways to entertain guests while working on details such as what to charge for the services.

Castle stay programs are also offered at Ozu Castle in Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, and elsewhere.

“We want to make active use (of the castle), instead of just preserving it,” the mayor said, adding that city officials are also seeking new uses for the lookout on the top floor of the main keep and an open space in front of it.

Because the castle stands close to JR Fukuyama Station, city authorities hope to attract trade shows, academic conferences and other events.

Following a decree issued during the Meiji Era (1868-1912), the original turret was dismantled and many of the other castle buildings were sold off to private entities.

Due to extensive damage from Allied bombing during the war, the castle was restored with reinforced concrete to coincide with the reconstruction of the main keep in 1966.

The turret is a two-story structure, complete with a Japanese-style room comprised of eight tatami straw mats on the first floor and a larger room of 18 tatami mats on the second floor.

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