We can distinguish 2 different Tenshu: in the ancient castles (built before the EDO period), the Tenshu is a kind of terrace on the top floor that was created after the construction of the main building (Bourou type) and for modern castles, the Tenshu is a single building that goes from the first to the last floor (Soutou type). It served as a watchtower and also as a symbol of each castle. Uwajia Castle, Ehime Prefecture (Important Cultural Property) Hikone Castle, Shiga Prefecture (National Treasure and Important Cultural Property) -Himeji Castle, in Hyogo Prefecture (National Treasury) -Hirosaki Castle, Aomori Prefecture (Important Cultural Property) -Inuyama Castle, in Aichi Prefecture (National Treasure) -Kochi Castle, Kochi Prefecture (Important Cultural Property) -Marugame Castle, in Kagawa Prefecture -Maruoka Castle, Fukui Prefecture (Important Cultural Property) -Matsue Castle, in Shimane Prefecture (National Treasure) -Matsumoto Castle, Nagano Prefecture (National Treasure) -Matsuyama Castle, in Ehime Prefecture (Important Cultural Property) Today there are only 12 castles that are considered original: -Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, Okayama Prefecture. Many castles were rebuilt after World War II, but often with modern materials such as concrete. Due to this sad fate, Japanese castles were the target of American bombing and castles that were near large cities were destroyed. In 1873, after the Meiji Restoration (that is, the transfer of power from the shogun to the emperor), the emperor ordered the abolition of castle power in order to modernize the country for for the emperor, the castle was a symbol of ancient Japan.Īfter the imperial edict on the castles, many of them were abandoned, and when Japan entered the war, the castles that managed to survive were taken over by the Japanese army to store and protect the weapons. However, in 1615, the second Shogun of the Tokugawa Dynasty ordered to maintain only one castle per state to reduce the power and wealth of the lords. After the unification of Japan by the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu in the early 17th century, the lords were ordered to build modern castles throughout Japan, reaching as many as 25,000 castles. In addition, modern castles were raised as a symbol of lordly power, the stone walls and the Tenshu tower being characteristic of these. For this reason they stopped being located in the mountains. These castles were no longer solely defensive structures, but became the residences of the lords and centers of economic and political activity. In 1576, Lord Oda Nobunaga ordered the construction of Azuchi-jo Castle, considered the first modern castle. The modern castle periodįirearms were introduced to Japan in 1543, changing the way of warfare forever. At this time the towns called Jokamachi (whose literal translation is ‘village at the foot of the castle’) appeared, built to supply the castles. In the Sengoku period (late 15th and 16th century), in which military conflicts followed, the vassals or lords of the Shogun lived in their houses at the foot of the mountain in times of peace, and in times of war they shut themselves up in its castles, usually located at the top. From the 12th century, the lords and vassals of the shogunate began to develop their activity around the castles. In 663, after the Japanese defeat to the Tang dynasty at the Battle of Hakusukinoe, numerous fortifications began to be built on the coast and in the mountains. We can see a reconstruction of these settlements in the Yoshinogari Iseki moat, located in Saga Prefecture. The Japanese began to build moats to protect themselves from wild animals and then when conflicts began between men, they built the walls. The history of the Japanese castle dates back to the Yayoi period (10th century BC). The modern castle period Evolution of the Japanese castle
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