Okayama castle lowland-mountain type in Okayama Prefecture. The castle is also known by two names: Do-Jo (Crow Castle), which was given to the black color of the walls, and Kinjou-Jo (Castle of the Golden Crow) because gold plated jewelry, particularly gold satyaka – fictional sea creatures in the form of a fish with the head of a dragon, on land can turn into tigers.

It is believed that these animals, which is a symbol of water, protect decorated their buildings from fire. In addition, salikoko showed high social status of the owner of the castle. In Japan in the construction of castles black was used very rarely – for example, in the construction of Matsumoto castle, also known as Karasu-Jo.

The castle was built in 1346-1369, representatives of the aristocratic family of Nauvoo, he later passed from one clan to another and before the second half of the nineteenth century had been in the keeping of clans Kanamitsu, Ukita, Kobayakawa, Ikeda. At the end of the XVI century the castle was rebuilt lords UCITA, but they lost in 1600 the battle of Sekigahara, and the castle became the trophy of Hideaki, Kobayakawa. Since 1869, the castle became the property of the state.

At the end of the Second world war Okayama castle was destroyed by attacks from the air and was restored in the 60-ies. Original in the castle complex there are only two towers.

The main tower of the castle was built in the style of the Azuchi, it was surrounded by a lot of defensive structures – only yagura towers, which, was seen and fired the entire territory of the castle, there were 34. At the castle you enter through gate 21.

Currently the castle is now a Museum samurai heritage, which presented arms and armor of the samurai and other exhibits. Since 1987 Okayama castle has a national historic site status. Near the castle is one of the three most beautiful parks in Japan – Koraku-EN, a sample of Japanese garden art with three hundred years of history.