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Japanese castles were built during the feudal period (about 1185 to 1867) and particularily in the 16th and early 17th centuries. All were built in a similar defensive style, with a castle tower built on 3, 4 or 5 storeys. Most of them were painted in white, but some were black or black and white.
It is almost impossible to know exactly how many castles there has been in the whole of Japan's history. Some believe that there could have been up to 40,000 castles before the Meiji restoration, which seems rather unlikely. All depends on what can be called a castle, as some were no bigger than an average house, but with a castle architecture.
Nowadays, there are about 50 castles left in Japan, including ruins and reconstruction. Only 12 original castles are still standing.
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