Japanese castles
Photo: ThorstenS, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
When most Westerners think of castles, they naturally think of those built in medieval Europe; however, Japan, too, was a nation of castle-builders. In its feudal days, you could find castles in nearly every prefecture.
Castles in Japan were built to guard important or strategic sites, such as ports, river crossings, or crossroads, and almost always incorporated the landscape into their defenses.
HistoryCastles in Japan began as fortresses for military defense. They were placed in strategic locations, along trade routes, roads, and rivers.
Architecture and defensesJapanese castles were built in a variety of environments, but all were constructed within variations of a fairly well-defined architectural scheme.
Original castlesIt is estimated that once there were 5,000 castles in Japan. Today there are more than 100 castles remaining, or partially extant, but most are modern reconstructions.
Original palace buildingsOnly four castles in Japan still have their original lord's residence (御殿 goten) standing. One of them is the aforementioned Kochi Castle. The other three, whose main keep has not survived are:
ReconstructionsJapan has many reconstructed castles, many of which receive more visitors than the originals.
RuinsRuins typically feature only the castle walls, or parts of the original layout are visible.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Japanese castles" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: ThorstenS, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons