Ninja and Samurai Magazine: May 2017

There are many beautiful castles in Japan.In ancient times, the castle was made into military affairs and built in mountain land in many cases. When it becomes the Age of Civil Wars, a castle would also be built more often in important places of traffic, such as a highway and a river.

Therefore a castle started to be constructed in a plain or hills.

Japanese castles had come to be built for politics or economic activities.

Unlike Europe or China, the fortress city was seldom made in Japan.

Because Japan does not have the aggression from the other countries and a massacre was not carried out, there were a few castle towns in Japan.

Another reason why there were few castle towns in Japan is that a castle was often constructed in a mountain as a military base in warlike ages.

There are three types of castle.One is a castle on the mountain,the other is a castle on the hill.The last one is castle on the plain.It was difficult to attack and easy to protect, so a castle was often made on the mountain in the Middle Ages.

But that kind of castle is inconvenient to live, so usually, monarchs lived at the foot.It was the mainstream to build a castle in a hill in warlike ages.When the Age of Civil Wars finished and it became a peaceful time, a castle mainly came to be made by the flat ground.

The stone wall of Japanese castle is unique and interesting.

Please look at the stone wall of the castle if you come to Japan.

There are three types of stone wall.

The incline of the stone walls.

It's getting harder to climb when going up.

Although many dry moats were built at medieval times in modern times a moat with water was mainly built .

Earthworks is a facility with hardened soil.It was made to prevent enemy intrusion and attack. Can be seen in the castle of Kanto and Tohoku.

Kind of the castle tower

The main tower has various devices for protecting.

For example, it is protected by the door which stuck a big metal on the entrance.

You can't go up to the top easily because the medium stairs are steep.

There was an arsenal in the castle tower for a sudden fight.In addition, there was the window from which a samurai could attack with a gun.There was also a device from which a stone is dropped on the enemy who has climbed.

There were also a well and a restroom in order to endure confinement for many months.And there was a grid in the window.

A turret is an all-around defense facility.For example a turret was used as the observatory where a food is stored and also used to view the moon and watching enemies.It became the important attack base in wartime.