風鈴さんの おぼえた日記 - 2016年10月1日(土)

基礎英語３　世界に発信！　日本の世界遺産　姫路城　　　　　　Saturday, October 01

　　　　#7　HIMEJI-JO

　Himeji-jo, often called Himeji Castle in English, is the largest castle in Japan.

　It is located on top of a big hill in Himeji, a city in Hyogo Prefecture. Himeji has about 500,000 people. It’s about 100 kilometers west of Osaka and 250 kilometers east of Hiroshima. Himeji Castle is the city’s most popular attraction.

　Himeji-jo was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. In fact, it was one of the first places in Japan to become a World Heritage Site. UNESCO writes, “Himeji-jo is the finest surviving example of early 17th-century Japanese castle architecture.” It is made up of 83 buildings “with highly developed systems of defense and ingenious protection devices.” One system of defense is the high stone walls around the castle keep. These walls are like a maze, and archers could stand on top of them and shoot arrows down.
●name AB　ＡをＢに選ぶ　●in fact　更に言えば 　●architecture　建築
●be made up of …　～から成り立っている　●ingenious　巧妙な　●keep　天守閣　
●maze　迷路　●archer　弓の射手

　Himeji Castle is also famous for its brilliant white plaster walls. People say it looks like a white bird spreading its wings, and a popular nickname for the castle is Shirasagi-jo (White Heron Castle). Himeji-jo dates back to the 14th century, Most of the current buildings were built by powerful warlord at the very beginning of the 17th century. Few castles in Japan today are so old.
●plaster　しっくい　●heron　鷺　●warlord　将軍

　Across Japan you can find traditional castles in the 17th-century style, but namy are reconstructions or replicas. They are not the original castles. Some old castles destroyed during battles between samurai warlords. Others were destroyed after the end of the samurai era, when the government wanted to get rid of traditional castles. Others were bombed during World War Ⅱ.
●reconstruction　再建されたもの　●replicas　レプリカ　●bomb　爆撃する
●get rid of …　～を取り除く、追い払う

　Himeji-jo itself was almost destroyed by the government in the 19th century. But in the end, the castle was saved. Later, during World War Ⅱ, the city of Himeji was bombed heavily, but Himeji Castle survived almost undamaged.

　Several years ago, a major restoration of Himeji-jo began. Work was done on the walls and roof. This work took over five years, but it was successfully completed in 2015. So if visit Himeji-jo today, you will see it in its full glory!
●restoration　修復　●successfully　首尾よく、うまく　●complete　～を完成させる
●glory　壮観

私はストレスを解消するため、ゴルフ練習場に行く。
I'm going to the driving range to get rid of some stress.
/english/phrase/100030


　　　　現在分詞による後置修飾
People say it looks like a white bird spreading its wings, …
人々はまるで羽をひろげた白い鳥のように見えると言います、・・・

　　　　 few ＋ 可算名詞　「ほとんど～ない」否定的に用いる
Few castles in Japan today are so old.
今日に日本の城にはそれほど古いものはほとんどありません。


国宝の姫路城は、1993年にユネスコの世界文化遺産に登録されました。
Himeji Castle is a National Treasure, and in 1993 it was placed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
/english/phrase/4340

城全体が、分厚い石垣で守られています。
The entire castle is protected by massive walls of stone.
/english/phrase/4342

その際立った美しさと優雅さから、一般に白鷺城という名でも親しまれています。しかし実際は、難攻不落の要塞として設計されていました。
Because of its striking beauty and elegance, it's popularly known as the White Egret Castle. But in fact it was designed as an impregnable fortress.
/english/phrase/4341

最初の門から天守まで、直線距離ではわずか130メートルしかありません。しかし、向かう敵兵は、その３倍以上の距離を登らなくてはなりません。
As the crow flies, the distance from the first gate to the tower is just 130 metres. However, attackers trying to reach it would have to climb a route at least three times longer.
/english/phrase/4343

　　　　姫路城
修復工事前と修復時もエレベーターに乗って天守閣を見学しました。そして修復されました。漆喰で真っ白なお城です。白すぎ城と言われています（笑い）



　　　　ホソミイトトンボ
糸トンボです。宝石のようなキレイなトンボです。昨日の妖麗な蛾はきょうはいませんでしたが、代わりにトンボがいました。今日も５分で見っけました！！ラッキーです。