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Many once destroyed or demolished Japanese castles were later erected anew in order to boost local tourism. For example, reconstruction of Osaka Castle was finished in 1997.

Are there any castles that are currently being built? I am only aware of on-going restoration of Kumamoto Castle after it was damaged in 2016 earthquake.

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  • Good question - are you aware that Ise Jingu is completely rebuilt every 20 (I believe) years? And that has happened for perhaps 1000 years.
    – Fattie
    Commented Jun 3, 2021 at 20:42
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    I've heard about that but I'm more interested in castles than shrines.
    – Presto
    Commented Jun 3, 2021 at 22:17
  • Make sure you also see Himeji Castle at some point, if you haven't already. It's still complete and original (no elevators and stuff added in), adding to its value. Commented Jun 4, 2021 at 14:55
  • I've found out that Amagasaki Casle had been reconstructed recently, between 2018 an 2019. This is, to my knowledge, the freshest castle in Japan.
    – Presto
    Commented Jun 6, 2021 at 23:47

2 Answers 2

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Yes: the reconstruction of Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa, the historical seat of the Ryukyu Kingdom, is under way. Destroyed once during WW2, it was rebuilt but destroyed again in 2019 by a massive fire. Construction started in 2020 and aims to finish by 2026.

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  • Although I will say there wasn't that much construction going on back in November 2020 when I was there.
    – Jan
    Commented Jun 4, 2021 at 15:32
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    @Jan Apparently just clearing away the ruins will take a year plus. Commented Jun 5, 2021 at 13:19
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It hasn't started yet, but the reconstruction of the main keep of Nagoya Castle in wood is expected to begin soon, so hopefully soon this will be a "castle under construction".

The construction work was supposed to begin in 2018, but some disagreements among the Mayor of Nagoya and the government of Japan, as well as protests (the protesters challenged the reconstruction plan in court), have delayed the construction work.

Hopefully the reconstruction would begin when it should have been finished. Or forfeited.

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