Meikai Castle

Meikai Castle [沒界莽; めいかいがり] is a castle constructed in the city of Meikai, the capital and seat of Shinkō Prefecture. It was constructed in 1183 by Shin no Aruke in the present-day city centre, built using the ruins of the Hatake Fortress previously inhabited by the Hatake clan, and served to house selected members of the Shin clan, their officials and their servants.
Until the 1800s, Meikai Castle functioned as the administrative centre of Shinkō. It was the home for every konbūshin [military commander] and his family, and as Meikai became the political, economic and cultural heart of the prefecture, the castle become a microcosm of this growth. In a pamphlet from the 1500s, Meikai Castle was named as one of the best retreats for a nobleman in northern Kanton. The main building was often referred to as Akadama ['red walls'] due to the brilliant crimson colour of its exterior.
In 1934, Meikai Castle was donated as a building of cultural and historical significance to the prefectural government, who opened it to the public in 1960. In the present day, the castle's structuring is slightly different to how it was a century ago, due to fires which destroyed large portions of the building in 2003. Renovations using locally-sourced materials were completed in 2005, but certain parts of the castle were permanently closed and can no longer be explored.