A 69-year-old retired insurance examiner created this miniature replica of Himeji Castle in his garden.
His wife, Ikuko, 66, gave him a book containing photographs of the castle on his 47th birthday. He saw a drawing of the castle in the book and made up his mind to build a replica. Imura bought a plot of land in the town of Enza in Ise, which has a beautiful view of mountains unhindered by the sight of power lines – a setting he thought would be perfect for the replica.
He moved to the town and began building the model in 1989, using experience he gained as a joiner during his youth.
After retiring at age 60, Imura devoted his life to building the replica.