Castles城

Japan boasts a significant number of castles, many of which date back to the country's feudal period. These castles were erected by powerful lords, known as daimyōs, as symbols of their wealth and power, and as fortified residences to protect themselves from potential enemies. They were strategically located as military fortifications, often along major trade routes, roads, and waterways.

However, over time, many of these castles have been destroyed or damaged due to wars, natural disasters, or urbanization. During the Meiji Restoration, castles were seen as emblematic of the previous ruling class, leading to the demolition or destruction of nearly 2,000 castles, with some simply neglected and falling into disrepair, while others were used by the Imperial Japanese Army.

As the early 20th century progressed, there was a growing interest in preserving cultural heritage, leading to the enactment of laws for protecting historically or culturally significant sites, including the National Treasure Preservation Law in 1929.

Castles were often built atop hills or mounds, sometimes artificial ones, to aid in defense and provide a greater view over the surrounding land. Castles built on mountains were known as yamajiro (mountain castles), those on flat plains as hirajiro, those on lowland hills as hirayamajiro, and even on small natural or artificial islands in lakes or the sea.

They typically had large stone walls, moats, gates, towers, watchtowers, arrow slits, and underground tunnels. The primary method of defense was the arrangement of the baileys, called maru, with the most central bailey containing the keep known as honmaru, and the second and third referred to as ni-no-maru and san-no-maru respectively.

The arrangement of baileys in castles can be categorized into three main styles. The first style, known as rinkaku, features the honmaru located in the center with the ninomaru and sannomaru encircling it, providing comprehensive defense. The second style, called renkaku, has the honmaru and ninomaru placed side by side. The third style, known as teikaku, places the honmaru near the castle walls, with additional bailey surrounding it. This style is well-suited for castles built near natural barriers such as rivers, mountains, cliffs, or swamps.

The castle keep, usually the tallest and most elaborate building, was three to five stories tall and known as the tenshukaku or tenshu. Towers or turrets, known as yagura, were placed at the corners of the walls and over the gates for defensive purposes or as watchtowers or for moon-viewing.

The area inside the castle walls could be substantial, with samurai residing almost exclusively within the compound, with those of higher rank living closer to the daimyō's central keep.

Today, over one hundred castles, either fully or partially preserved, exist in Japan, with many reconstructed, primarily using steel-reinforced concrete. However, there has been a recent resurgence in using traditional building methods. After restoration, many castles serve as museums and cultural centres.