《論 文》
The History of Japanese Castles with the Perspective of British Castles
HIROMICHI NISHINO 日本の城の歴史
―日英城郭比較の視点を踏まえて―
西野 博道
キーワード城（castle）, 天守（keep）, 高石垣（stone wall）, 水堀（moat）, 城下町（castle town）
abstract
This article reproduces and summarizes the contents of the lectures I gave at Waseda University (2003-2010). The word “castle” is originally Latin, castra, or castellum. It was spelled castel, castill, castele, kastelll in English during the Middle Ages. Now, it is spelled Castillo in Spanish, château, sometimes château fort in French. In Germany, it is written as Burg, meaning mainly a mountain castle, a hill castle or a water castle. Schloß means a hill castle, a flat castle, or a palace. Burg is originally Latin burgus, meaning a watchtower. Burg follows the names of many German cities, such as Hamburg, originally, Burg of Ham, meaning the castle of the bay. Residenz, meaning palace in German, appeared between the 16th and 17th centuries. As for an English castle, it is a fusion of Latin and Germanic castles. Therefore, we can investigate plenty of samples of Western castles in England. Great Britain which consists of England, Wales, and Scotland, is really a treasure house of European castles. In this paper, I, as a Japanese, will discuss the history of Japanese castles by comparison with British castles.
Introduction
Japan, an island-country, consists of multiple islands situated off the continent, saved from the conflicts of neighboring countries. Basically, the Japanese are far from rational through. People living in Japan like nature as it is and have a very delicate and mild personality. The same is true for architecture. We donʼt like symmetry but asymmetrical buildings. Japanese sense of building castles is not against nature but with
nature. We prefer a natural shape to rational one. Japan has four beautiful seasons, with mild climate, full of short and swift rivers and small plains and many mountains, perhaps 70 or 80%
of the country is mountainous. Of course, located near the Eurasian Continent, Japan was influenced on the development of its culture during ancient times, especially by China and Korea. But, after all Japan constantly formed its own culture for a long time. And the same can be said for the castlesʼ history. The feeling, Japanese love of nature, is very important to
understand not only the Japanese mind but also castles of Japan. Japanese castles are one of the nationʼs cultural heritages in which Japanese people could take pride. I believe that Japanese castle is a representation of Japanese peopleʼs sense of sublime beauty.
The word, castle, can be defined simply as a fortified private dwelling, designed to be secure against attacks from armed enemies. A castle had two functions: military and domestic. It could be described as a fortified home or a residential fortress. It would also have gorgeous and elaborate apartments for the feudal lord and his family members. But thinking of the history of Japanese castles, other military facilities, for example, frontier settlements, front bases in prehistoric period, town walls made of earthworks during medieval and early modern age, or modern forts with garrisons of regular soldiers, or military offices in modern times are also very important if we think about the wide range of meaning of the word, castle.
There used to be about 35,000 castles in Japan. During the Edo period, the number of castles was reduced to about 300. Today, some of them are picturesque ruins or just historic sites, only piles of tumbledown stones and growing weeds; and there are hundreds of castles to visit in Japan. They are all excellent examples of military architecture with great towers, keeps (main tower of a castle), halls, palaces, strong-gates, high stone- walls, wide and deep moats and ditches.
Jomon (10,000 BC-300 BC) and Yayoi Period (300 BC-300 AD)
During the Jomon period, there were no buildings of military constructions associated with the castle. In those days there were not
any gaps between having and not having, or the rich and the poor. There were not any serious wars between them, but the Sannai- Maruyama Site (Aomori Prefecture) is very important to consider for future castles.
Sannai-Maruyama Site (rebuilt)
Even though we cannot notice the ruins of any defensive structures, there are many hints or suggestions to think about the role of the castle, especially about the keep and the hall. After shellfish collecting, gathering food and hunting way of life, rice cultivation spread rapidly throughout Japan. Then something like conflict gradually occurred and trends toward social stratification (the upper, the middle, and the lower) and polity were formed.
Agricultural villages appeared with thatched pit houses and raised granaries (raised floors).
Their villages were often surrounded by the ditches. Settlements in defensive hilltop positions became popular.
Tumuli Period (300 AD-700 AD)
Daisenryo Tumulus
During this period large tumuli, kofun were built for dead members of the ruling class. They contained clay figures, haniwa, representing humans and horses, metal instruments, and iron armors. The most characteristic form of these kofun is the shape of a key-hole. One of these tombs, the Nintoku Mound, or Daisenryo Tumulus, is 486 meters long and has three moats, and a large base area greater than the largest pyramids in Egypt, reflecting the rulerʼs power. There are many hints to think about the role of castles if we check out kofun, that is, built by a national enterprise, being the symbol of power and authority, and it was the same structure of motte and bailey castles in England in the 11th century. This is a really surprising coincidence, and it shows that kofun had the function of a castle in case of an unexpected situation. In fact, in Japan, many warlords renovated and used the burial mounds, kofun, as their castles.
Yoshinogari Site (rebuilt)
Around 300 AD, Queen Himiko ruled the country named Yamataikoku, and it was once said that Himiko had lived at Yoshinogari (Saga Prefecture), but now that theory has been denied. However, the site represents the development of the ditched settlement or village diches in the Yayoi period. We can notice the rebuilt watch-tower in the central bailey. If we are permitted to use the word
“castle,” we could say that the earliest and simplest form of a castle in Japan appeared as a village ditch in the Yayoi period. It was simply made in a bailey (an area of land within an outer wall). In Europe, it is called a castle of ringworks. Even though about several thousand village diches were built, none of them now survives, except for the outlines of their earthworks in the ground.
The first stronghold to be built in Britain was a hillfort with a deep ditch dug around and a wooden fence built between 700 BC. and 500 BC. This structure is very similar to the village ditches of Japan.
fortresses in preparation for the attack from the continent. For example, Water Castle, Mizu-ki, and Ono Castle, Ono-ki, in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kanata Castle, Kanata-no-ki, in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Yashima Castle, Yashima-no-ki, in Kagawa Prefecture, and so on. These mountain castles were influenced by Korean castles, using stone- walls, over 400 m high mountains. After all, no invaders came to Japan, resulting in establishment of ancient political structure based upon the political system of Tang China.
Suzaku-mon Gate of Heijo-kyo (rebuilt) Empress Gen-mei made Heijo-kyo (Nara Prefecture) as the imperial capital in 710 during the Nara period. In 794, Emperor Kan- mu established Heian-kyo (Kyoto Prefecture) during the Heian period. These two large capitals, as homes of the emperors and their families, were the first stages of the walled city modeled after the Tang capital, Changʼan.
However, the imported style did not fit a Japanese society, as Japan was basically a country without conflict. Therefore, Japan only just adopted the concept of a castle town or fortified town. Actually, in ancient times, Japanese capitals did not have any fortifications.
There were no defensive systems such as the wall surrounding the city. Later, this concept
Asuka (593-710), Nara (710-794), and Heian
Period (794-1185)
Reported in the Chronicle of Japan, Nihon- Shoki (completed in 720), the Soga clan led by Soga-no-Umako attacked and killed Mononobe- no-Moriya and his family in 587 to clear the main opposition to Soga dominance at the Yamato Court. In the war the Mononobe family used Inaki (a castle made of riceplant:
leaf, blade, stem, and coated the fence with mud and soil) against the attack by the Soga.
Prince Shotoku, who took the Sogaʼs side, also took part in the war. Later, he cooperated with Umako and protected Buddhism and built Horyu-ji temple. He also instituted the Seventeen-Article Constitution to strengthen the imperial authority. In those days, Japan had the country named Kaya (=Mimana) in the Korean Peninsula. Japan had close ties with Paekche (=Kudara), but Silla (=Shilagi) and its powerful ally, Tang China (=Toh) invaded Paekche. In 663, during the reign of Emperor Tenji, Japan was defeated in the Battle of Hakusukinoe with the Tang.
Ono Castle Ruins
After the defeat, domestic security was seriously threatened, so the Japanese government started building many mountain castles as frontier
Taga Castle was very beautifully made under the influence of Chinese architecture. It was painted mainly in vivid red with other bright colors. It was a symbol of the conquest of the Tohoku region. It was the first castle to show the authority to the opponents, who would come to think that they couldnʼt win against the castle builder who built such a wonderful construction using high technology at that time. The territory controlled by the central government gradually expanded, but some problems occurred: the government authority was being weakened by the rising powerful aristocrats, who came to have deep relationship with local landholders; they created manors (=private land), shoen. They increased their wealth and became much stronger. Furthermore, private armed groups or warrior corps appeared. Each member was called bushi, positioned as a military class.
They became increasingly necessary to maintain the government. The imperial family sometimes hired them as their guards. Then the Hogen Disturbance (1156) and the Heiji Disturbance (1160) took place. These conflicts were between powerful armed groups involving the imperial family. The winner, Taira-no-Kiyomori from the Taira family, Heike, imitated the aristocrats and made his grandson emperor; but in 1185, Minamoto-no- Yoshitsune from the Minamoto clan, Genji, defeated his old rival, Heike, in the Battle of Dannoura, which finally closed the Gen-pei (Minamoto-Taira) War. Fukuhara (Hyogo Prefecture), where Heikeʼs base was located, was the place surrounded by mountains on three sides, and their Yashima Base (Kagawa Prefecture), which was later attacked by Yoshitsune, also included a mountain castle (280 meters).
would somewhat influence the castle town in the Warring States period like Odawara Castle (Kanagawa Prefecture). In those days, city walls were not made of stones like European castle towns, but just made of ramparts of earthworks with deep ditches. In Europe, for example, England was conquered by the Romans in 55 AD, then the Romans built many strong forts as a military center all over England. Those large rectangular stone- made forts remind me of the square-shaped castle town, Heijo-kyo. The influence relationship between the Roman and Britain was very similar to the influence relationship between China and Japan in the points of a large scale and a symmetrical layout. When the formal castle town was completed, the central government turned its interest into territorial expansion. They started to conquer the Tohoku region, the north-eastern part of Japan, where the Ezo tribes resisted and rose in rebellion. In those days, a series of military forts were constructed: Dewa Castle, Dewa- no-saku, in 703 (Akita Prefecture), Taga Castle, Taga-no-ki, in 724 (Miyagi Prefecture), Isawa Castle, Isawa-no-ki, in 802 (Iwate Prefecture), etc.
Taga Castle Ruins
Sugaya Yakata Ruins
If you turn your eye to the whole country, every warrior was beginning to make his own house, bushi-no-yakata, in his territory. The house was fortified and its layout was square with ditches and fences against enemies.
There were many loopholes of arrows on the wooden fences. There was a gatehouse, a main house, a sub-house, a shed, and a stable in the bailey of bushi-no-yakata. Present-day Saitama Prefecture was home to many of Musashi-bushi who supported the Yoritomo administration, and a lot of their yakata sites still remain. Typical ones are Sugaya Yakata, Kawagoe Yakata, Adachi-Tomoto Yakata, Hiki- Yoshikazu Yakata, Kaneko-Ietada Yakata, Kumagai-Naozane Yakata, and so on. In addition, Minamoto-Tsunemoto Yakata is an important castle ruins with the legend that a military nobleman, Tsunemoto, who is said to be Yoritomoʼs ancestor, lived there. Ashikaga School in Tochigi Prefecture was part of the old house associated with Ashikaga Takauji, who later opened the Muromachi Shogunate, but now restoration is progressing, and the image of bushi-no-yakata in the Kamakura period is really shown.
In England, a residential facility called
“ringwork” with a timber gatehouse and domestic buildings appeared in the 10th century,
Kamakura Period (1185-1333)
Shakado-guchi kiri-do-shi.
Minamoto-no-Yoritomo, the leader of Genji, destroyed the Taira family, Heike, and established his military government at Kamakura (Kanagawa Prefecture) through the appointment of constables, shugo (later military governors) to provinces, and stewards, jito, to manors, shoen. The warriors, bushi, became politically stronger than before.
In 1192, Yoritomo was appointed Shogun by the emperor, and for about 700 years thereafter, Japan was ruled by a military government. Kamakura was a natural castle town, surrounded by natural steep mountains on three sides and the sea. Because of the protection of mountains, for people to enter and exit, some parts of the mountains were cut open to make a tunnel passage, kiri-do-shi.
One of the famous kiri-do-shi that can still be confirmed in Kamakura is Shakado-guchi kiri- do-shi. Kamakura was once a full-fledged natural fortified castle town.
The Mongol Invasions (1274, 1281)
A stone wall along Hakata Bay
Kublai Khan, the emperor of the Mongol Empire, ordered his men in Korea to invade Japan, but fortunately for the Japanese defenders, only a day after the invading force of about 40,000 men landed in Hakata Bay, a storm suddenly arose, destroying a good part of the fleet to drown the invaders. Seven years later, 150,000 men appeared once again in Hakata Bay. This time the Kamakura government made the stone-wall along the bay, and during two months of fighting, a fierce typhoon arose to drown invaders again. This is the beginning of divine winds, kamikaze, mythology. Since then, Japanese believed the kamikaze would blow when Japan was on the verge of extinction. Toward the end of the Second World War (1944-45), kamikaze-suicide- attacks, were commanded by the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was an incredible tragic military operation, and 2,550 fighter planes plunged into American battleships and aircraft carriers. The stone wall along Hakata Bay also reminds me of Hadrianʼs Wall built in 128 AD on the border between England and Scotland, not to mention the Great Wall of China (214 BC). The basis of a castle is the wall, and the which was the previous stage of Norman castle.
Every feature of this simplest and earliest form of a castle really resembles Japanʼs warriorʼs house in the Kamakura period. These two residences had no influence relationship with each other, but itʼs inevitable in human history that they created almost the same dwelling at the same time, with a little difference of about 100 years. It can be said that a wooden motte and bailey castle in the 11th century in England was the same as a wooden and earthwork castle in the medieval period of Japan from 12th to 16th century.
Ruins of Minamoto Tsunemoto Yakata
Ashikaga School (rebuilt yakata)
Kusunoki Masashige (1294-1336) supported Emperor Go-Daigo, who wanted to destroy the Kamakura Shogunate. Masashige made several mountain castles including Chihaya Castle （Osaka Prefecture）. About 30,000-man army of the Kamakura Shogunate besieged to attack this castle with around 1,000 men, but failed. The following year, in 1333, the Kamakura Shogunate completely collapsed.
The battle over Chihaya Castle was the epoch of history. Before that, the castle was just a supporting role in battle, but during this time, for the first time, it became the leading role.
Later, Masashige and Yoshisada cooperated to fight with Takauji, but they died. After all, w h e n t h e K a m a k u r a S h o g u n a t e w a s destroyed, the imperial court began to split into two. Japan came to be dominated by two imperial courts, the Northern Court and the Southern Court. During this period (1336-1392), many mountain castles appeared all over Japan.
Muromachi Period (1338-1467)
Kinkaku (rebuilt・World Heritage)
The winner, Ashikaga Takauji established the Muromachi Shogunate in 1338, named for the district of Kyoto in which the shogunal residence was situated. The 3rd shogun, Yoshimitsu, who essence of the wall is its defense against
attackers. Japan was able to prevent the Mongol invasion, but the next serious problem that the Kamakura Shogunate had was that they could not pay the brave warriors who had fought the Mongolian army. Many warriors nationwide became dissatisfied with the government; then, Ashikaga Takauji and Nitta Yoshisada (both from the Minamoto clan) turned against the leader of the Kamakura government, Hojo Takatoki (the Taira clan).
Between 450 and 600, Britain was invaded by two groups from Europe: the Saxons and the Angles. Later, they had to defend themselves from Danish invaders. Then, there was the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.
Britain was invaded by many foreigners in history and every time, deprived of their country. Invaders and locals first hated each other and eventually merged. Over the long history, many races have mixed together and became the current British people. The British are diverse and they have diverse values. On the other hand, Japanese people are excessively conservative and do not like to receive diverse values. This is a by-product of Japanʼs never being invaded by a foreign country. No one knows which countryʼs history should be welcomed.
Chihaya Castle Site
Warring States Period (1467-1568)
Arato Castle （rebuilt）
Sakasai Castle (rebuilt)
This period is from Onin War (1467-77) to Oda Nobunagaʼs entering Kyoto in 1568. The overthrowing of superiors by inferiors characterizes this period. There were many upstarts in this era. The majority of shugo- daimyoʼs families fell in the late 15th century, and their domains were under the control of warlords, sengoku-daimyo, who took new power on behalf of shugo-daimyo. Neighboring warlords fought frequently. They made strong mountain castles for use in wartime and manor houses at the foot of the mountains in peacetime. It was necessary for a castle to protect allies and to be difficult for enemies to attack. Many castles were built on top of a steep mountain or in a location by the sea.
unified the Northern and Southern Courts in 1392, built the golden pavilion, Kinkaku (World Heritage) in 1397.
The 8th shogun Yoshimasa built the silver pavilion, Ginkaku (World Heritage) in 1482.
These buildings are extremely important to know what a castle built in the Middle Ages looked like. For example, it is said that Seisho- ken, the main tower of the medieval Edo Castle built by Ota Dokan was such a building.
When I looked at the old photograph of the Copper Tower, Do-yagura, in Sakura Castle, Chiba Prefecture, I thought that it resembled Ginkaku, and it is said that Do-yagura was the one that the lord of Sakura Castle was given by Shogun living in Edo Castle, and it was originally the tower of Seisho-ken that Dokan had built. In addition, looking at Kinkaku and Ginkaku, we can notice one of the features seen in later castle architecture; itʼs the flower lantern windows, kato-mado, used on the second floor of both pavilions, which can still be seen in many existing castles.
Ginkaku (World Heritage)
Many strong constables, shugo, who succeeded in expanding themselves, became provincial military lords, and they came to be called constable lords, shugo-daimyo. The Ashikaga Shogunate couldnʼt control over them anymore.
was built in 1271.
The ruins of a castle where we can see the image of the medieval castle during the Warring States period in Japan, are Arato Castle Ruins in Nagano Prefecture, Sakasai Castle Ruins in Ibaraki Prefecture, and Takane Castle Ruins in Shizuoka Prefecture;
as for these castles, each restoration work is well done and you can enjoy the view of the medieval castle buildings there.
Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1568-1603)
Azuchi Castle (built as an attraction) Oda Nobunaga (1534-82) was born as the son of a warlord who ruled the area of Owari (Aichi Prefecture). In 1560, Nobunaga with 3,000 soldiers defeated the Imagawa Yoshimoto army with 25,000 soldiers by surprise attack at Okehazama in Aichi Prefecture. Nobunaga killed Yoshimoto, who had been a powerful warlord of Suruga and Totomi (Shizuoka Prefecture). Nobunaga gained fame and he expanded his territory. He used many matchlocks introduced by the Europeans in the war. At the beginning, he helped the 15th Ashikaga Shogun Yoshiaki to enter Kyoto.
However, he became in conflict with Shogun Yoshiaki, fighting against many neighboring warlords and religious groups, who supported These castles were fully making use of the
protection of nature. Battles often broke out, so a manor house was to be moved to the top of the mountain; thus, perfect mountain castles appeared. A good castle had many wells in every citadel covering the mountain to get water. The typical mountain castles built in the 16th century were Inaba-yama Castle by Saito Dosan in Gifu Prefecture, Odani Castle by Azai Sukemasa in Shiga Prefecture, Shigi- san Castle by Matsunaga Hisahide in Nara Prefecture, Yoshida-Koriyama Castle by Mori Motonari in Hiroshima Prefecture, Kasuga- yama Castle by Uesugi Kenshin in Nigata Prefecture, and Hachiouji Castle by Hojo Ujiteru in Tokyo. Although such mountain castles were effective from the military standpoint, it was impossible to carry out engineering works on a large scale. Rather than being a castle, they were more like mansions of a feudal lord or at best, fortresses.
In the late 16th century, however, strong lords brought the weak under their dominance. At the same time, the progress of the age accelerated the development of the economy and transportation. Mountain castles became inconvenient, not only for governing countries, but in many other ways as well. Lords faced the need of building castles in more spacious and better developed locations. During this period, the role of the castle changed from the fortress to the dignified residence of the local lord. The castle became the center of the political and economic life of the district. This fact made them build hill castles, hirayama- jiro and then flat castles, hira-jiro (castles built on flat lands), afterward. Other variations were castles on the sea or on the lake called water castles, mizu-jiro, or floating castles, uki-shiro. The most popular water castle in Europe is Caerphilly Castle in Wales, which
which had an outer enclosure to protect the castle town. The castle had a three-story (four floors) tower on the top of the mountain (329 m), but the tower was not called tenshu. The word, tenshu suggested tenka, meaning the world, which is the key word for ambition of becoming a ruler over Japan. Nobunaga changed his living castles so many times:
Nagoya Castle, Kiyosu Castle, Komaki-yama Castle (the above three, Aichi Prefecture), Gifu Castle, Sawayama Castle (Shiga Prefecture), and finally Azuchi Castle. Generally speaking, warlords had never changed the castle they lived in. Nobunagaʼs moving style from castle to castle was very rare. It suggests that his vassals had to move with Nobunaga, too. It meant that they could cut relationship with their old lands, and become professional soldiers living in the castle town. Nobunaga protected merchants, traders, and craftsmen, making the different economic system called rakuichi-rakuza in the castle town to develop the economy. Nobunaga allowed a new business to be opened without paying taxes. Nobunagaʼs next target when considering business was Osaka, where the Ishiyama Hongan-ji, the fortified temple was located. Nobunaga took a lot of effort to attack the temple. He wanted to build a new castle on the site of the temple.
Nobunaga must have heard the outline of the Western castle from missionaries. The reason why Nobunaga wanted to make full stone walled castle was that in Western countries, all of the medieval castles were made of stone. Azuchi Castleʼs tenshu was an imitation of the Western medieval castle. It might have been influenced by the round towers of Europe. In fact, there was an octagonal castle, Castel del Monte in the southern part of Italy in the 13th century.
Nobunaga was a genius, but he was a cruel leader and a destroyer of medievalism. His Yoshiaki. In 1579, Nobunaga built a castle on
Mt. Azuchi (106 m) on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, and declared to fight for the unification of Japan. The castle was built with high stone walls and a beautiful five-story keep, tenshu, which became a symbol of the castle. It was the representation of Nobunagaʼs vast authority and wealth. Next to the keep was a palace. The keep was built on an irregular octagonal stone base, tenshu- dai. The five-story keep at a height of 32 meters had 7 floors inside, including an underground storage floor. The walls and doors of the rooms were covered with gold leaves and decorated with elegant paintings by leading artists. The appearance of the building was very colorful, that is, in red, blue, white, brown, black, and gold. Each floor had a different color. The image of the Azuchi Castleʼs keep tower can be enjoyed by looking at the building rebuilt in a theme park in Mie Prefecture now. During a battle with the Mori family in western Japan, Nobunaga was attacked and killed, at the age of 48, by his vassal, Akechi Mitsuhide, while staying at Honno-ji temple in Kyoto. Azuchi Castle was destroyed by fire in 1582.
Nobunaga was the first lord who made a castle in order to show his absolute power to the people. For him, the castle was not only a fortified building to protect his family and men, but also un objet. He was a pioneer in building a keep with roof tiles and stone walls surrounding baileys; but one of things Azuchi Castle lacked as a perfect castle was that there was no outer enclosure for defense.
Azuchi Castle could not protect the lives of ordinary people living in the castle town.
Before coming to Azuchi, Nobunaga remade the old Inaba-yama castle (Gifu Prefecture) and named the mountain castle Gifu Castle,
castle passed into the hands of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and extensive repairs were carried out in 1620. At present, all the remains of Osaka Castle that we can see are the castle built by the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Hiroshima Castle (rebuilt)
Matsumoto Castle (National Treasure) Hideyoshi (1537-98) was born in a small village in Owari (Aichi Prefecture) in a low- ranking family. Serving Nobunaga, he became a powerful warrior of the Oda family. After Nobunaga was assassinated by Mitsuhide, Hideyoshi quickly took revenge, and took the initiative in the Oda family. He killed Shibata Katsuie, the biggest rival of the Oda clan, at the Battle of Shizugadake in 1583, and continued his mission to conquer Japan. Hideyoshi built Osaka Castle between 1583 and 1598. The castle with a five-story black keep was built on the site of Ishiyama-Hongan-ji. Feudal lords all over Japan followed Osaka Castle and tried to men were always scared of him, cursing the
tyrant at the bottom of their hearts. Nobunaga massacred unarmed women and children after the fall of a castle. He also killed his vassals and female servants. Nobunaga had killed Japanese people the most. He was the only person that wanted to destroy the emperor system in Japanese history. After moving to Azuchi, he really wanted to become God, to be respected forever. Nobunagaʼs castles must have been beautiful. Was Azuchi Castle really beautiful? A real beauty must only be consisted of the grace of the lord. The sublime beauty must exist there. Itʼs very strange that nobody wanted to restore Azuchi Castle after his death. Nobody built a colorful castle like Nobunagaʼs. Every warlord might have an allergy to Nobunagaʼs sense. Azuchi Castle was a symbol of splendor and cruelty. It was just like a nightmare castle to be forgotten by every feudal lord. Nobunaga was a dangerous leader. His enterprising spirit unshackled old traditions. Being innovative is always full of merits and demerits.
After Azuchi, the keep of the castle, one of the chief characteristics of Japanese castles, became popular. It was originally an observation tower. In the case of the castle located at the summit of a mountain, a lofty keep was not required. When the castle came to be built on a low hill or on flat ground, a high tower to keep an eye on the surroundings was needed. It is said that placing an observation tower on top of a mansion was one of the origins of the keep.
Later, the keep became a symbol of the feudal lordʼs power.
After Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyosi seized power, and eventually succeeded in unifying Japan through military strength. In 1583, Hideyoshi started building Osaka Castle, and completed construction in 1588. Later, this
Prefecture, Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture, Yamazaki Castle in Kyoto Prefecture, Osaka Castle, Juraku-tei in Kyoto Prefecture, Ishigaki- yama Castle in Kanagawa Prefecture, Fushimi Castle in Kyoto Prefecture, Yodo Castle in Kyoto Prefecture, and Hizen-Nagoya Castle in Saga Prefecture. Hideyoshi also made so-gamae for Kyoto where the emperor lived, extending as much as 22.5 km outside, and it was for the first time in Japanʼs history to make a fortified capital.
Strangely, itʼs just the same as European city walls. So-gamae was the final destination for castle makers. Therefore, it is a complete myth that European castles had citizens living inside the castles and Japanese castles made citizens live outside the castles. The final goal of Japanʼs castle was also to protect the people living in the castle town.
Hideyoshi truly had a great enthusiasm for making castles. He was a typical upstart ruler, not born with high status. He was small, had no hair, and had no children for a long time. He had no loyal vassals to follow him. Actually, there were not any men to die for him. The relationships between Hideyoshi and his men depended on only interests such as gains or losses and advantages or disadvantages. To become a powerful feudal lord, he needed authority, self-beautification, or self-deification to make people obey. Then he decided to construct outstanding castles that no one had ever seen. The color of Osaka Castle was basically black. Compared to Nobunagaʼs colorful castle, Hideyoshiʼs black castle looked stronger. It fit perfectly with the warriorʼs sense of beauty. Maybe, Sen-no-Rikyu, an expert in the tea ceremony, advised Hideyoshi to use the color black. Rikyu was Hideyoshiʼs political counselor, and it is the fact that he advised Hideyoshi to make the Bailey of Nature, Yamazato-kuruwa, next to the keep in make their own castles. Two black keeps of
Hiroshima Castle (Hiroshima Prefecture) and Kumamoto Castle (Kumamoto Prefecture) are good examples of Hideyoshiʼs Osaka Castle style. Matsumoto Castle in Nagano Prefecture, a national treasure, is also a representative of the black castle built under the influence of Hideyoshi.
The keep of Osaka Castle was lacquered black and decorated with gold arabesque patterns. The roof tiles were decorated with gold leaf and other ornaments. The keep was a powerful and luxurious building of gold on a black background, beyond the splendor of the colorful Azuchi Castle. Hideyoshi took advantage of the castle much more than Nobunaga, to enhance his reputation, power, and authority.
Hideyoshi conquered the Shikoku and Kyushu regions, and then surrendered the Odawara Hojo family, the conqueror of the Kanto region (1590), when he succeeded in national unification.
Hideyoshi learned about the outer enclosure of Odawara Castle (9km) while attacking the castle.
After the war, Hideyoshi started making so- gamae of Osaka Castle, an outer enclosure for defense that included the entire castle town of Osaka. It was made of a wide-deep moat and earthworks with a total length of more than 8 kilometers. He invited feudal lords as guests on a tour of the castle, and boasted that no one would be able to defeat Osaka. Everyone believed that it was impossible for Osaka Castle to fall. In his later years, Hideyoshi sent troops to Korea, but in 1598, Japanese soldiers returned because of Hideyoshiʼs death at the age of 61. During two continental expeditions to Korea, Chinaʼs Ming, which wanted to defeat the Japanese army in Korea was greatly damaged and then collapsed.
Hideyoshi made so many splendid castles to show his financial and military power as well as authority in his life: Nagahama Castle in Shiga
Edo Period (1603-1868)
Himeji Castle (World Heritage)
Nagoya Castle (rebuilt)
After Hideyoshiʼs death, a struggle to succeed him broke out among ambitious feudal lords. Tokugawa Ieyasu destroyed the Toyotomi family by winning two great battles, the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and the Siege of Osaka Castle in 1615. He became a shogun in 1603 and opened the Edo Shogunate. He also began to build the largest castle in Japan, namely Edo Castle. During this period (1600-15) most of Japanʼs famous castles were built, and it was called the golden age of Japanese castle architecture. Typical examples are Kumamoto Castle (1602), Iyo-Matsuyama Castle in Ehime Prefecture (1602), Matsue Castle (1611), Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture (1609), Hikone Osaka Castle. Rikyu loved black and he always
wore black clothes and used black teacups.
The layout, nawabari, of Hideyoshiʼs castles was basically asymmetric and complicated. It didnʼt go against nature, making curved lines and it had full of tricks. Hideyoshi was good at falling enemyʼs castle, not by assaulting one with all his strength but with clever tactics.
For example, flooding Bicchu-Takamtsu Castle (Okayama Prefecture) and Oshi Castle (Saitama Prefecture), or cutting off the water and food supply of Tottori Castle (Tottori Prefecture), or showing his power to build a strong castle, Ishigaki-yama Castle, near the enemyʼs castle of Odawara to make the enemy lost the will to fight against Hideyoshi. Kuroda Yoshitaka, a Christian, was an advisor to Hideyoshiʼs castle building. He was a gifted strategist and served Hideyoshi for a long time. Hideyoshiʼs many unusual siege attacks were mostly his ideas.
Influenced by Hideyoshiʼs castles, many black castles appeared all over Japan. Hiroshima Castle, Kumamoto Castle, Matsumoto Castle, and Matsue Castle (Shimane Prefecture) can be seen nowadays, and we enjoy appreciating every black keep. When he became the ruler of Japan, Hideyoshi said that he was a descendant of a noble family, or sometimes said that he was a son of the sun. Sometimes, he said his mother had got pregnant by the Holy Spirit. It shows that he was always worried about his unstable political power.
capabilities was equipped with high stone walls, a vast water moat, a vast castle area, and white walls. All of Japanʼs most famous castles, Himeji Castle, Hikone Castle, Tokugawaʼs Osaka Castle, Nagoya Castle, and Ieyasuʼs Edo Castle had all these conditions. In addition, it is agreed that a white castle in Europe was the kingʼs castle. Strangely this is a coincidence. Edo Castle which was a shogunʼs castle, was said, “It is pure white like snow” in those days, just like Himeji Castle now. White was a symbol of peace in Europe, and the king preferred to turn his castle white. Thatʼs one of the reasons why Ieyasu used white. It may be a common universal way of thinking of humankind.
You can also pay attention to three types of stone walls: stacking natural stones, stacking hit stones, and stacking cut & shaped stones. There was a stacking method that could draw a beautiful curve called the slope of the fan. Such kind of beautiful stone walls are fully appreciated at Himeji Castle. The roof of the castle is covered with dark-grey Japanese clay tiles. The gables, kirizuma, are basis of roof decoration. Shachi, with a dragon head and a fish body on the top of the roof, as roof ornament, was also popular.
Nagoya Castle used 74 kilograms of pure gold.
Push-out-windows, agedo, the stone-throwing-gap, ishi-otoshi, arrow-slits, ya-zama, and loopholes, teppo-zama, were all features of castles at that time.
The keep was said to be developed from the flat house to the many-storied tower with military factors. The keep developed from a warriorʼs house with a watch-tower on the roof. Usually, the keep seen from the outside, the structure appears to be five stories, but actually it has six or seven floors.
Himeji Castle is a representative early-modern castle built in the Edo period. It has been a national treasure since 1951. Along with Horyuji Castle in Shiga Prefecture (1606), and Nagoya
Castle (1612). The castles of the Toyotomi group were black, and the castles of the Tokugawa group were mainly white. Each castle had a very large beautifully decorated palace next to the strong keep.
The castle of this era became white in appearance because they broke new ground in the field of castle architecture. That is, it was a technique of white plaster. Compared to Western castles, the lordʼs residences had similar functions, but there were significant differences in construction techniques. Traditionally, Japan is a country of wooden architecture, and castles, especially keep construction, did not deviate from this tradition. Except for the special materials used in some castle buildings, in fact, it was almost entirely in a wooden structure. Compared to British stone castles, Japanese wooden castles were not only less durable and less fire- resistant, but also lacked structural robustness.
The thick stone walls of Western castle buildings were able to keep the enemy away, but Japanese castles did not provide such defenses. However, the castle, built during Keicho years (1596-1615), was attempted to make the walls of the building thicker and stronger by plastering in a way called nurigome- zukuri. The stucco layer was further plastered and painted thickly to dramatically increase the fire resistance of the wooden walls. Compared to black castles with wood walls, white castles were hardened. Fire protection was an important part of construction. In accordance with the traditional method of lacquer craftsmen who painted lacquer in the same way, the layers of plaster were completely dried, and then the following plaster was applied. With the idea of further fireproof introducing this plaster technology, the weaknesses of wooden castles were reduced. A castle with high defense
except for the keep complex of Himeji Castle was mainly made by Kuroda Yoshitaka and Hideyoshi, and the outer wards of the castle were made in the name of Ikeda Terumasa. The name of Terumasa is very famous for his building the miracle castle, not only nationwide but also all over the world. However, Terumasa didnʼt prove himself to make the castle as a design adviser or architect as a castle builder. He didnʼt tell anything about his ideas of making the castle. In addition, the taste of Himeji Castle didnʼt match Terumasaʼs sense of beauty.
Successful and rich, Terumasa just paid plenty of money to hire top ranking technical experts. He just left everything to them. Generally speaking, every castle reflects the taste of the lord, but the splendid Himeji Castle does not reflect Terumasaʼs character. He was simple in daily life, but an insane rush type on the battlefield.
He was a strong and bold warrior, but an affectionate commander to his men. Terumasaʼs grandmother was a nanny to Nobunaga. Baby Nobunaga was very violent, and she became the only nanny who could control him. She was a strong and compassionate woman. Her son, Terumasaʼs father, as a foster brother of Nobunaga, succeeded and the Ikeda family were allowed to use the swallowtail butterfly family crest by Nobunaga. It proved that the Oda family belonged to the Taira clan. At the battle of Komaki-Nagakute in 1584, Terumasa lost his father and brother, who were killed by one of Ieyasuʼs vassals. At that time, Terumasa wanted to have his revenge on his enemies, the Tokugawa corps, until his death. But one of Terumasaʼs loyal vassals stopped him at the risk of his life.
Terumasa kicked his vassalʼs face many times from the horse to break free, but it was in vain.
After the siege of Odawara Castle, Hideyoshi advised him to get married to Ieyasuʼs second daughter, who had been the wife of the leader of temple in Nara Prefecture, Himeji Castle
became Japanʼs first World Heritage Site in 1993. Located on the 45.6 m high hill, called Hime-yama, it is a white castle with many original buildings (74 other buildings are registered as important cultural properties of Japan). The five-story white keep is surrounded by two-story corridors and three small keeps tied together by a roof, and features a courtyard.
It is called a box-shaped keep complex and provides excellent defense. After the Battle of Sekigahara, Ieyasu gave his son-in-law, Ikeda Terumasa, Harima (Hyogo Prefecture) and ordered him to create a huge castle. Actually, it was not a new construction but a major renovation and an extension of the old castle.
The new castle was completed in 1609, and the layout of the castle was like a maze and surrounded not only by the inner moat, but also by the middle and the wide outer moats (11.5 km). The complex inner baileys have many large and small gates with tricks that puzzled the enemies. For example, there is a complex L-shaped gate, which attacks an enemy with a long spear and does not allow attackers to pass through. There is a buried gate, Uzume-mon, and in the case of war, the passageway was blocked from the inside with rocks and earth.
Near the keep complex, there is a down slope that is effective in pulling back enemies believing that it is not the right path to the keep, but it is actually the right one. The huge main keep of Himeji Castle is decorated with 17 large and small gables, including fish-shaped ornaments, shachi. We can also notice many gaps for dropping stones from the building, ishi-otoshi, many loopholes, teppo-zama, and elegant arched windows, kato-mado, at the third floors of the three small keeps. In the courtyard, there is a kitchen, intended for use in case of war.
It is true that the layout of the inner baileys,
hostage by Oda Nobuhide (Nobunagaʼs father) from the age of six to nine, and then by Imagawa Yoshimoto from the age of nine to 19.
He was freed after Yoshimotoʼs death during the Battle of Okehazama, and allied with Nobunaga. He expanded his power under Nobunaga. After Nobunagaʼs death, he was in conflict with Hideyoshi at first, and later changed to a cooperative line. Ieyasu moved from Hamamatsu Castle (Shizuoka Prefecture) to Sumpu Castle (Shizuoka Prefecture), and after Odawara Castleʼs falling, Hideyoshi ordered Ieyasu to move to the Kanto region.
Ieyasu rebuilt Edo Castle without a keep so as not to make Hideyoshi be wary. After Hideyoshiʼs death, Ieyasu started building the great white keep at the center of Edo Castle.
In 1609, Ieyasu ordered the construction of Nagoya Castle for his 9th born son, Yoshinao.
This new castle was built to control and suppress powerful lords who had strong ties to the Toyotomi family. The construction of Nagoya Castle was a national project called tenka-bushin. Therefore, lords from all over Japan had to participate in the construction.
One of the 20 participants in the western Japanese lords was Kato Kiyomasa, a fortification expert, and he made the stone base of the keep of the castle by himself. His skills and quality completely outweighed other lords. Completed in 1612, the five-story keep was so huge that it was three times as big as that of Osaka Castle. The magnificent keep was decorated by two golden roof ornaments, kin-no-shachihoko. In 1615, Ieyasu attacked Osaka Castle, killing Hideyori (Hideyoshiʼs only son), ruining his last rival.
Except for Edo Castle and Nagoya Castle, Ieyasu rebuilt Fushimi Castle in Kyoto and Sumpu Castle (as his retirement castle), built Nijo Castle in Kyoto, etc. Every castle except for Sumpu Castle had a white keep without a Hojo family, to get on well with each other. After
all, between Terumasa and his wife, five sons and two daughters were born. That made Ieyasu very happy, and when Ieyasu became the ruler of Japan, Terumasa, being promoted, got Himeji Castle. Terumasaʼs nickname was Western Shogun. Terumasa was small and short, but he was very competitive, full of unyielding spirit, and a fearless warrior. In Himeji Castle, Terumasa lived his simple life. He died at the age of 49, in 1613.
The castle of Japan continued to have the characteristic that the military fortification and the palace coexisted even in the 17th century. In Europe, the fortress and the palace were separated and played their respective roles. Since it was peaceful during the Edo period, the outer enclosure of the castle town, so-gamae, did not develop.
Todo Takatora, a political advisor to Ieyasu, was also a master of castle building, and he had built Uwajima Castle in Ehime Prefecture, Imabari Castle in Ehime Prefecture, Sasayama Castle in Hyogo Prefecture, Tsu Castle in Mie Prefecture, Iga-Ueno Castle in Mie Prefecture, Zeze Castle in Shiga Prefecture, etc. Another master of castle building at that time was Kato Kiyomasa, who built many Japanese-style castles on the Korean Peninsula. Both Takatora and Kiyomasa possessed great skills in castle architecture and although they were not hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa family, these two castle experts supported the Tokugawa administration.
Ieyasu’s Philosophy of Castle Building
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) was the founder of the Edo Shogunate. He was born in medieval Okazaki Castle (Aichi Prefecture) as the son of a small and weak feudal lord. He was takenconcentric castle appeared, building a keep was an anachronism. Instead, the strong gatehouse or the keep-gatehouse was constructed. During the Edo period, there were many castles without a keep. I think Japanese castles without a keep were closely related to British castles without a keep.
Overview of Edo Castle
Ote-mon gate of Edo Castle (rebuilt)
Iemitsu’s Edo Castle (restoration model) balcony at the top of the keep.
It is said that Ieyasu didnʼt like to attack a castle, and he was not good at making a castle with a splendid keep and high stone walls because he had no technical experts before becoming a shogun. Compared to Hideyoshiʼs slim keeps, Ieyasuʼs keeps were totally plump and bigger. The castleʼs layout was simple and very large. Concentric layout castles or centralized castles, which were common to British castles, were devised. In Europe, the concentric castle was said to be the perfect castle, appearing in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Knights of Western European countries learned about concentric defenses while on crusade in the Near East (Syria, Arab, Iraq, etc.).
Ieyasuʼs favorite castle was a huge castle that was practical, pragmatic, and rational. One of the reasons why the area of the castle became large was to avoid cannon attacks. Also, if the castle had a vast space, many soldiers could be stationed in the castle. Ieyasu didnʼt pay any attention to the beauty of the castle building, and he didnʼt mind recycling materials of old castles. He didnʼt care about making a four-story keep, shi-sou keep, which means the shadow of death keep in Japanese. Ieyasu liked castles built in the plains, and such a castle was called hira- jiro. The basic layout of the castle was a square or rectangle with full of straight lines, not curves. Sometimes the castle was not for the lords and their families but for officers and soldiers. Perhaps, Ieyasu was not interested in the castle itself, but interested in the location of the castle in order to control the important road or the area. Ieyasu made a castle network all over Japan. He also ordered Todo Takatora to make a castle without a keep. In this case, only the stone-walled base of the keep, tenshu-dai, was constructed. In Europe, when the
views about the reason why Ieyasu entered Edo Castle. For example, Edo was located at the center of the Kanto plain. The land was very large, so it could have large population and become a big city. Edo could be the center of Kanto and the center of Japan. Edo had a great future. After all, it was not only Hideyoshiʼs intention but also Ieyasuʼs will.
Ieyasu respected Minamoto-no-Yoritomo very much, and he began insisting that he was a descendant of the Minamoto clan in order to control rough warlords of the Kanto region.
Vassals of Ieyasu wanted him to build a great keep at the center of Edo Castle, but Ieyasu didnʼt want to care about that. He just ordered to fill up some part of the Hibiya inlet and to make the castle town wider and functional, completing a water service supply and digging canals, called Onagi River between Edo Castle and Gyotoku (Chiba Prefecture) where the salt fields were. After becoming Shogun in 1603, Ieyasu made many daimyo (feudal lords) assist in the expansion of the castle as the national project, tenka-bushin. At this time, Edo Castle was rebuilt into the early modern style great castle with a huge white keep, which was 48 meters high (completed in 1607), and high stone walls enclosed the inner ward. The eastern daimyo who were poor at building stone walls, dug the ground to make moats, and the skillful western daimyo piled up stone walls. In 1605, Ieyasu handed over shogunate to his son, Hidetada, and moved to Sumpu Castle (Shizuoka Prefecture). In fact, Ieyasu lived in Edo Castle only for five years, between 49 and 54 years old. He died in Sumpu Castle at the age of 75. Hidetada rebuilt the palace, and he ordered to rebuild the five-story keep to show his power in 1623, when Hidetada handed over shogunate to his son, Iemitsu. The third Shogun, Iemitsu, Edo Castle located in the middle of the
metropolitan Tokyo, was the residence and office of the Tokugawa Shogunate for over 260 years. It was the biggest castle in Japan. The history of Edo Castle began at the end of the 11th century. First, Chichibu Shigetsugu built his house, yakata, at the place where the inner ward of the castle is located today. Shigetsugu changed his family name from Chichibu into Edo. So, he was later called Edo Shigetsygu.
Of course, “Edo” was the name of the place, meaning the mouth of the river. Shigenaga, the son of Shigetsugu, became very powerful.
Even though he belonged to the Taira clan, he supported Minamoto-no-Yoritomo who was in trouble losing the battle with the Heike (the Taira clan). After all, with the cooperation of Shigenaga and other local warriors called Musashi-bushi, Yoritomo was able to open the Kamakura Shogunate. In the Warring States period, Ota Dokan built a medieval castle there in 1457. Dokan was a steward of the Ogigayatsu-Uesugi clan. He was a smart and brave general, so he was very good at fighting and building castles. He built Iwatsuki Castle (Saitama Prefecture), Kawagoe Castle (Saitama Prefecture), and Edo castle (Tokyo) for the Ogigayatsu-Uesugi clan. Dokanʼs fame spread not only to the Kanto region but also to Kyoto;
then, his master becoming jealous over him and Dokan was killed at his masterʼs house in Sagami (Kanagawa Prefecture) in 1486. After the death of Dokan, Edo Castle was passed to the Odawara-Hojo family. Then, Hideyoshi started the siege of Odawara Castle in 1590.
Three months later, Odawara Castle fell and Hideyoshi awarded the Kanto region to Ieyasu. Hideyoshi ordered Ieyasu to live in the small and old Edo Castle not in the big Odawara Castle. Hideyoshi wanted to reduce the power of Ieyasu, but there are many
Edo Castle Town and the rest of the story
The castle town, Edo was the center of politics and economics with warriorsʼ residences, samurai yashiki, merchant and craftsman houses, machiya, and temple areas, tera-machi. The population of Edo in 1837 was 1.28 million, the largest all over the world.In the castle, the ultimate defense line when attacked by enemies was the outer enclosure.
The outer defense structure, so-gamae, of Edo Castle was 16 kilometers around. The design of a castle town was as important as the castle itself, and the layout of defense system consisted of an inner, middle, and outer defense lines, which formed a spiral in the case of the castle town of Edo. It was an effective defense system to confuse the enemy and stop the attack.
Another example of this layout was Himeji Castle. At that time, the lord of Himeji Castle was Ieyasuʼs son-in-law, Ikeda Terumasa. In the early Edo period, eastern Japan was protected by Edo Castle, and western Japan was protected by Himeji Castle.
The area of the samurai residence and the area of townspeople such as merchants, craftsmen, and blacksmiths, were clearly separated.
Samurai yashiki in Edo was also the residence of lords, daimyo, from all over Japan, and their house was called daimyo-yashiki. In the Edo period, daimyo nationwide were forced to live in Edo with his wife and children for a year and could spend the next year in the castle in his homeland. Daimyo continued going back and forth between Edo and his territory every other year for over 250 years. Daimyo-yashiki was basically a single-story building with a great front gate. Near the center of the castle, they gathered. Their houses were located in the appropriate district according to their income, the appointed position, their title, and the completed construction of Edo Castleʼs outer
enclosure for defense, so-gamae, in 1636 with the wide & deep moats and high earthworks.
There were also many town gates, called mitsuke. In this way, Edo became the largest castle town not only all over Japan but also all over the world. The outline of so-gamae, the fortified castle town, matched that of the modern-day Chiyoda-ward and Chuo-ward of Tokyo, far surpassing anything similar in European countries. The current outline of Edo Castle ruins can be found by tracing about 20 mitsuke gates, through the remaining placeʼs names such as Akasaka-mitsuke, Yotsuya-mitsuke, Hibiya-mitsuke, and so on.
Iemitsu rebuilt the palace in the castle again in 1637. It served as the private living space also as the political and administrative office of the shogun. Then Iemitsu demolished his fatherʼs keep in 1638, and built a new 51 m high black copper plated keep. However, a big fire meireki-no-taika broke out in 1657, that destroyed most of the Edo town, and the third magnificent keep was also burned down. After that, a new keep was never rebuilt. Another great fire destroyed many buildings in the castle in 1863, and the seventh palace was never rebuilt. Four years later (1867), the Tokugawa Shogunate collapsed. Control of the nation was returned to the emperor, who moved from Kyoto Imperial Palace to Edo which is now called Tokyo. Edo Castle is no more a military fortress but an imperial palace. Among the remains of Edo Castle are bridges, wide & deep moats, and stone walls including the impressive stone wall foundation of the keep, tenshu-dai. We also enjoy looking at many gates and towers including the beautiful three-story tower, Fujimi-yagura, that replaced the keep of the castle following its destruction caused by fire.
who was ordered to conquer the Tohoku region by the emperor of Japan in ancient times. So, when he became a shogun, Ieyasu positioned Edo Castle as his main objective as a defensive fortress against attacks from the Tohoku region.
Therefore, Asakusa-bashi-mon gate, Asakusa- mituke, the main entrance of Edo castle town, was located on the northeast side. Then, through Tokiwa-bashi-mon gate, you would reach Ote-mon gate, the real front gate of Edo Castle. However, at the time of the construction of Edo Castle, Ieyasuʼs real enemy was the Toyotomi family of Osaka, and he considered other powerful feudal lords who ruled western Japan were also his real enemies. It is clear that the layout of the magnificent Edo Castle, including the castle town, was in the hypothesis that the enemy would march from the west. In other words, it was formally noticed to respond to attacks from the north, and was actually laid out to adequately respond to attacks from the west. To see things from various points of view,
“west” means not only the Toyotomi groups in West Japan but also Korea and China. I think that the real reason Kato Kiyomasa made such a strong castle in Kumamoto was because he was afraid of being attacked by Asian continent for revenge. Still more, because of the existence of Date Masamune, the most powerful lord in the Tohoku region, it is possible to think that Ieyasu must have tighten his guard against the northern part of Japan, too.
The layout of the concentric castle in the late 13th century to early 14th century in Britain was also very similar to Ieyasuʼs castles, including Edo Castle, in the early 17th century. The wards were not connected side by side, but the center ward where Ieyasu lived expanded gradually in a concentric circle. It showed the mighty power of Shogun Ieyasu. The purpose of making a castle town in Britain was completely the same relationship with the shogun family. Basically, it
was decided by how close they were to the Tokugawa family. There was a hierarchy in the Tokugawa family: first, six branch houses of Tokugawa, Gosan-ke and Gosan-kyo, second, the relatives of Tokugawa, Shin-pan, third, the vassals to Tokugawa, Fudai, and fourth, the outer feudal lords, Tozama. As for townspeopleʼs houses, their tax was generally based on the width of the front of the house. So, townspeople, facing the street, narrowed the frontage of the house.
The strategically located area of Buddhist temples, tera-machi, served as a defense against attacks. The temple was surrounded by stone walls that could be barriers against invading forces. The vast space in the precincts was able to accommodate the soldiers. The large main prayer hall could be used as a military facility in an emergency. In fact, if you go to the provinces, there may be temples like temple castles. You can also assume a virtual enemy country by knowing where tera-machi was located in the castle town, or there is tera- machi near the most vulnerable area in the castle town. The rules for the construction of the castle issued by the Tokugawa Shogunate did not prohibit the construction of buildings unrelated to defense, but strictly prohibited the repair of various towers and buildings, and restoration of the stone walls of the inner and outer wards. On the other hand, as for the renovation work of the temple, the crackdown was not severe, so many temples developed and became hidden forts. The castle town was protected by the central part of the castle and the temple area, tera-machi. As for Edo castle town, Kan-ei-ji temple (to protect the north) and Zojo-ji temple including Atagoyama shrine (to protect the south) were very important.
The shogun originally meant a great general
actual designer and responsible for the construction. Goryo-kaku was a star-shaped bastion fortress originally from French bastions devised by the architect, Vauban who served Louis XIV in the 17th century.
Deal Castle in 1540 in England was a military fortress, and it was very similar to Goryo-kaku in Hokkaido. 13 years before (1853), six batteries were built continuously off Shinagawa in Edo Bay to protect Edo Castle. They were called daiba, and the third daiba (currently open to the public as Odaiba Park) and the sixth daiba, Shinagawa Dai-roku Daiba, are preserved. The history of Japanese castles and the history of British castles have followed almost the same transitions to the present.
Saijo Jin-ya
Goryo-kaku Ruins as Japanese one having the outer enclosure for
defense, so-gamae.
The third shogun Iemitsu issued an order in 1635 prohibiting lords from building a castle without his authorization. In the case of repairs, the approval of the shogun should first be sought. It was no longer possible to construct a castle without special permission. Castle architecture went into a decline. If the old keep was destroyed, the lord would not build a new keep again, or he might not build the same five-story keep but three-story-watch-tower, gosankai-yagura (osangai-yagura), for example, Hirosaki Castle in Aomori Prefecture, Mito Castle in Ibaraki Prefecture, Koga Castle in Ibaraki Prefecture, Kanazawa Castle in Ishikawa Prefecture, and Odawara Castle, etc.
In the Edo period, there were many small daimyo, who could not build a large castle but small government offices, called jin-ya. The manor house, which was frequently seen in rural areas in England during the Middle Ages, looks just like a small government office, jin-ya, in Edo Period.
Between 1639 and 1854, Japanese people were forbidden to travel abroad or return home from overseas (Prohibitions of Foreign Voyages). Only Netherlands, China, Korea, Okinawa were allowed to trade with Japan. Especially the trade with the Netherlands was popular, but they could only trade on a small isolated island called Dejima in Nagasaki. However, in the 19th century, with the appearance of Russian and British ships in Japanese waters, Japan faced an external threat. Then the Tokugawa government opened Japan. In 1866 the European method of castle construction was adopted by the government, and Goryo-kaku, a full-scale Western-style castle in both name and reality, was made at Hakodate in Hokkaido. Learned by a Dutch scholar, Takeda Ayazaburo was the
On the other hand, Japan developed into a stronger feudal society at the beginning of the 17th century. The leader of the feudal lords was a shogun, who was the military ruler of Japan. People were divided by the occupation system into four groups, shi-no-ko-sho, that is, warrior, farmer, craftsman, and merchant.
The profession was hereditary. Each lord ruled his own territory and built a castle there. During this period, the role of the castle changed from a medieval fortress to the dignified residence of a provincial lord, daimyo. The castle town became the political and economic center of the region, and the castle, which reflected the power and influence of daimyo was a symbol of the hierarchy.
Western castles are basically made of stone and mortar, but if you look carefully, the interior of the castle was almost made of wood. The outside was stone, but the inside was mainly wood, and it was surprisingly weak against fire attacks. Western castles also didnʼt have a perfect defense system. In fact, some British castles were broken by fire. The castle building in Japan was basically wooden, and the stone was used only for its base.
However, there were many stone walls to protect the castle. Itʼs a matter of the ratio of the use of wood and stone parts. The fact is that British castles used more stone than Japanese castles. If you think about Kumamoto Castle and Tsuyama Castle (Okayama Prefecture), considering the size of the stone used area, you cannot tell they are simply wooden castles.
A robust British castle did not require a vast and elaborate territory like a Japanese one. In fact, the layout of Western castles was very simple and small in scale. For example, British castles were often built on a motto with only one bailey. The castle tower was Shinagawa Dai-roku Daiba
Conclusion
Many of Japanʼs castles were destroyed in fires, earthquakes, the 1867 civil war, and air raids during World War II in 1945. After the war, quite a considerable number of castles, mostly keep towers, have been restored with reinforced concrete and recently rebuilt with real wood in various areas based on historical records. Many castles are now being restored in various parts of Japan. Not only Japanese, but also many foreign tourists like Japanese castles, and castle tours are popular in various places. In England, many castles were rebuilt during the Victorian era of the 19th century.
After all, castle tours are very popular, and visiting castles of Britain is also a staple of young peopleʼs dating courses. The same is true for Japan, and the number of castle reconstructions is steadily increasing in each prefecture. In addition, many castle palaces are currently being rebuilt. The palaces rebuilt in Saga Castle (Saga Prefecture), Kumamoto Castle, and Nagoya Castle are very popular with young women who love history.
In England, William Shakespeareʼs Hamlet appeared in 1603 when individualism sprouted.
short, 17th century Japanese castles were large and complex, and the inner parts were made of high stone walls and large water moats, whereas the outer parts were made of vast earthen bases and wide & deep moats.
A stone-made castle with a keep in England in the 12th century was exactly the same as an early modern Japanese castle with a keep made of high stone walls in the 17th century.
In the 13th century, British castles without a keep became the mainstream. It is said that Japanese daimyo were afraid the Tokugawa Shogunate and refrained from building their keep. However, that was only one of the reasons. A conspicuous keep was easy to be the target of enemy attacks, and it was destined to disappear in the history of the castle all over the world. The fourth keep of Edo Castle was not built after the big fire in 1657 not only for financial reasons but also for this reason.
Japanese castles were made mainly of wood with a skillful and high artistic value. English castles between the 11th and 13th centuries, on the other hand, were made mainly of stone, and they were simple, practical, and robust. If you want to compare Japanese castles with British castles more accurately, the most important point to consider is the appearance of cannons. In England by 1506, when Henry VIII ascended the throne, the era of castle buildings was no longer necessary. The castle was divided into palaces and military fortifications. During the 15th century, cannons became safer to use, making them less likely to blow up the gunners who fired them. The cannons had enough power to make holes in the castle walls and destroy the keep, more accurately. Deal Castle built in 1540 by Henry VIII was surrounded by an empty moat, and the entrance was a structure of a pull-out first made of wood and turned into stone
earlier in the 12th century, but in the 13th century a concentric castle appeared, a double-ward-structured territory was made, and one was surrounded by the other. The towers and curtain walls in the four corners protected the castle. As the main gate, a powerful gatehouse was built that took in the elements of the castle tower, keep.
After all, Western castles were compact and relatively simple. However, there were many baileys in the castle of Japan, surrounded by wide and deep moats. In addition, there were various types of baileys in Japanese castles, where keeps and palaces were built.
These baileys had various names from their roles. Sometimes, a bailey was named after one of important vassals, for example, Sakuza- guruwa in Hamamatsu Castle in Shizuoka Prefecture, and Iida-maru in Kumamoto Castle.
The bailey was sometimes called the first bailey, the second bailey, the third bailey, and so on. Sometimes, it was called the south bailey, the east bailey, the west bailey. Sometimes, the purpose of the place: Well Bailey in Himeji Castle, Nature Bailey, Yamazato-kuruwa , in Osaka Castle, Drum Bailey in Hachi-oji Castle in Tokyo, etc. English castles did not have any special ward names, they were just the inner ward and the outer ward.
The layout of Japanese castles was very complex, and the word “bailey” changed into
“ward” during the mid-16th century. Another feature of Japanese castles is that the main road to the center of the castle was deliberately designed in a complex way, and even if the enemy forces reach the main gate, they could not reach the keep of the castle directly. It was like a maze. The complexity of the territory of Japanese castles completely surpassed that of Western castles (and also Chinese castles). In
