青幻舎 SEIGENSHA Art Publishing

Visionary heritages above the clouds.

In places around the globe, “castles in the sky” have been built as dream worlds high above the ground. Destinations for both pilgrims and warlords, such castles continue to observe the course of history in all their aloofness, massive enough to endure the harsh conditions of their lofty locations, yet also wrapped in a romantic air of mystery and fleeting beauty. Veiled in the morning mist, the remains of Takeda Castle seem to be drifting in a fantastic sea of clouds. Dunnottar Castle towers on a cliff on the Scottish North Sea coast. Civita di Bagnoregio, an ancient fortified city in Italy, is in danger of collapsing about 2,500 years after it was erected, while in Germany Neuschwanstein Castle still embodies a king’s longing for medieval chivalric romance. Collected in this book are World Heritage castles and fantastic “castles in the sky” that served as models for Japanese anime, among others.

In the Nomad Books series, stunning photographs carefully selected from the Aflo archives beckon armchair travelers on the journey of their dreams, from breathtaking natural landscapes to historic wonders erected by human hands.