Fans of the LEGO Architecture series will have to wait a little longer, but a new interesting set will be released in the form of LEGO Architecture 21060 Himeji Castle in the second half of 2023. The set is reportedly set to be released on August 1st and will have a recommended retail price of $159.99/€159.99 in the LEGO Shop. The castle will consist of 2125 pieces. The official presentation has yet to take place; however, the first image from the set has already surfaced.
- Set number: 21060
- Name: Himeji Castle
- Theme: Architecture
- Number of pieces: 2125
- Price: $/€159,99 in LEGO Shop
- Release date: August 1, 2023
- Recommended age: 18+
LEGO Architecture 21060 Himeji Castle
Himeji Castle, located on a hilltop in the city of Himeji in the Hyōgo prefecture of Japan, is a complex considered to be the best surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture. The castle consists of 83 rooms with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period. Due to its brilliant white exterior and alleged resemblance to a bird taking flight, the castle is known as Hakuro-jō or Shirasagi-jō, which means the “White Heron Castle.”
Himeji Castle is the largest and most visited castle in Japan and was registered as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage sites in the country in 1993. The history of the castle dates back to 1333, when Akamatsu Norimura built a fort on top of Himeyama Hill. The fort was demolished in 1346 and rebuilt as Himeyama Castle, and only two centuries later was it renovated into Himeji Castle. In 1581, the castle was significantly renovated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who added a three-story castle tower.
In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu gifted the castle to Ikeda Terumasa for his assistance in the Battle of Sekigahara, and from 1601 to 1609, Ikeda completely rebuilt and expanded the castle into a large castle complex. Honda Tadamasa added several buildings to the castle complex from 1617 to 1618. Himeji Castle has stood for almost 700 years, even during the bombings of Himeji during World War II and natural disasters such as the Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995.