Even though the Japanese city of Kitakyushu is considered an industrial center and is world-renowned for the production of its famous robots, it is visited by more than 10 million tourists from all over the world annually. Not all the visitors are attracted there by the wish to touch the world of the future. Many travelers go that far in search of historical and cultural monuments of the past preserved to our time. The city of Kitakyushu has many majestic examples of ancient architecture. However, the must-see for every tourist is the great Kokura Castle, one of the main attractions of the city.

The majestic Middle Ages castle called Kokura is considered a significant architectural monument made in the Imperial Crown Style with elements of the Chinese culture on the Japanese territory. It was built in 1602 by a Japanese Daimyo Hosokawa Tadaoki during the period of the reign of the Tokugawa clan, the so-called Edo epoch. In Japanese, its name means «small treasury».

For three centuries, the castle was owned by an ancient imperial family of Ogasawara. As a result of numerous wars and fires, it was almost demolished in 1866. Almost 100 years passed before a part of the ancient citadel was restored. As for the major restoration, it took place only in 1990.

Now, especially during the fragrant cherry blossom season, the view of the fairy-tale castle which is smothered into the splendid castle garden really loos like a small treasury, a precious box with priceless jewels and mysterious stories of the past. Thanks to several dioramas on the first floor, you can learn what life in the castle during the 17th-19th centuries was like. On the second floor, there is an exposition that demonstrates a scene before an important battle between the warring daimyos. The third floor shows the visitors of the castle its history in the Japanese popular genre of anime. The viewing platform of the tower offers a wonderful view of the whole city.