Japanese Castles in Japanese history

• Many Japanese castles were built or renovated during the Sengoku period.
• They usually have a moat to prevent the enemy to infiltrate by tunnels.


Himeji Castle, by Hiroshige (1860)

• There are loopholes for guns and arrows (Himeji castle has more than 1000 loopholes).
• They have a main gate used to trick the enemy. There are usually traps around the main gate.
• Sometimes the number of floors are tricky (Matsuyama castle has 6 floors but looks like 5 from the outside).
• There are hidden corridors, and confusing mazes that make it difficult to locate the commanding room such as the UNESCO world heritage site Himeji Castle.
• Nijo Castle in Kyoto has nightingale floors that squeak to make sure the ninjas cannot raid in the middle of the night while people are sleeping.
• Kumomoto castle has many fruit trees inside so that people can feed themselves by the fruits during a siege.
• Azuchi castle was built on the top of a steep hill with a separate tower inside so that the residents could see the approaching groups from dozens of kilometers away.
• Each castle had an official drum (taiko) beater samurai to tell the time.
• It takes years to build a castle but according to a story Hideyoshi Toyotomi built the Sunomata castle overnight by using pre fabric walls.