“Okayama Castle is a Japanese castle in the city of Okayama in Okayama Prefecture in Japan. The main tower was completed in 1597, destroyed in 1945 and replicated in concrete in 1966. Two of the watch towers survived the bombing of 1945 and are now listed by the national Agency for Cultural Affairs as Important Cultural Properties.

“In stark contrast to the white ‘Egret Castle’ of neighbouring Himeji, Okayama Castle has a black exterior, earning it the nickname Crow Castle or ‘castle of the black bird’.”