Ruins of Ninomaru of Hiroshima Castle

The ruins of the Ninomaru, or the second circle of defense, consist of a reconstructed wooden gatehouse and gate towers that frame the entrance to Hiroshima Castle. Mori Terumoto built this castle in fifteen ninety-two on a marshy river delta, naming the area Hiroshima, or wide island. When the atomic bomb exploded in nineteen forty-five, the heat and blast leveled the original timber structures. These newer gate buildings stand on the original stone foundations, rebuilt using traditional joinery and local pine timber.