We are [ castle ], I imagine a conspicuous part such as a castle tower.
When I actually look up the castle in the Kan-Wa dictionary ...
A castle is a high-rise building built to prevent enemies
It is written that, after all, [ castle =castle tower ] Seems to have a strong image.
However, Kojien [ Military structures built to prevent enemies] Because it is written, not only the castle tower itself, but also military purpose Areas closed by structures such as moats, stone walls and fences It can also be considered.
Military structures This means that even if there is a building like the current Himeji Castle that has a magnificent castle tower, it is not a castle now that has no military meaning, but a castle ruin . Is the correct expression.
In addition, castles such as those in the Edo period were also the center of the shogunate and domain reforms, and at the same time they played a role like the city hall and government building, and at the same time, they also played a role as a symbol of the authority of the samurai.
There was no castle tower until the end of the Warring States period
We are Japanese castle =castle tower It is necessary to imagine that, but it was at the end of the Warring States period that the castle tower was built in Japanese castles. Even the residence of Shingen Takeda is Tsutsujigasakikan It wasn't like a modern castle.
It was Oda Nobunaga's Azuchi Castle that made a full-scale castle tower like a castle as we imagined. It is said that.
The castle tower is lord =lord Also known as building center Meaning and Christian Catholic Church It is also said to be the image of. Starting with this Azuchi castle, until the early Edo period, modern castle construction boom Many castle towers were built at that time.
What was the castle tower built for?
Many of the castles with castle towers were built at the highest point of the building.
Functionally, it was excellent as a sight-seeing tower overlooking the castle, but it was not good in terms of defense because it was easy to be an attack target such as a cannon. Therefore, it seems that the castle tower was not built after the modern castle boom left.
It is said that the reason why the powerful people such as Nobunaga Oda and Hideyoshi Toyotomi built the castle tower in the castle is to show off their power. The vassals of the castle owner and the territories of the castle have also been proud of their magnificent castle tower.
The actual Azuchi castle didn't feel very military, and was built with the intention of being seen from the castle. In modern terms, it may have been a landmark of this land.
Such a castle is also a abandoned castle decree in the 6th year of the Meiji era. The castle was abandoned, the building was removed, government offices and schools were built, and the site was used for parks and shrines. Hikone Castle and Inuyama Castle In some cases, the former castle owner lived as a mansion.
After the abandoned castle decree, many people struggled to save the abandoned castle tower.
This continued even in the Showa era, and more than 50 castle towers have been rebuilt and continue to be loved by the locals. It can be said that the castle was important to the people of the area both now and in the past.
The castle tower is a symbol of power! The first castle tower was Edo Castle! ??
The largest castle tower in existence is Himeji Castle The height is about 31 meters, and the size of the first layer is about 27 x 20 meters. Following this are Matsumoto Castle, Matsue Castle, Kochi Castle It will be.
Currently, the largest and best castle tower, including the lost castle tower, is still Edo Castle . was. Its scale was more than 1.3 times the height and size of Himeji Castle. Following this was Osaka Castle, which was rebuilt by the Edo Shogunate, and was just a little smaller than Edo Castle.
After all, the size of the castle tower seems to have been proportional to power.
I think that Azuchi Castle, which is said to be huge, was also large at that time, but I think it was a little smaller than Himeji Castle, as predicted from the building technology. It seems that.
It is presumed that the Osaka castle built by Hideyoshi is also larger than the Azuchi castle, but the details are unknown because the one that was burnt down in the Edo period was rebuilt in the Showa period.
It is said that Edo Castle is the best castle tower because the upper floors tend to be smaller due to the construction technology as the age gets older.
The lord did not live in the castle tower! ??
The owner of the castle in the early modern period, that is, the lord, actually lived in a large one-story building called the palace, not the castle tower. The palace had a large hall without a living room, kitchen or face-to-face with the Lord.
Since it also served as a government office, senior officials and officials were in charge of the affairs.
The existing palace is Nijo Castle, Kawagoe Castle, Kochi Castle, etc., which are less than the castle tower, but the interior is gorgeous and is a building that collects the best of samurai culture such as Shoin-zukuri ceiling paintings and bran paintings. Many palace also had gardens.
There was also the Honmaru Palace in Edo Castle, where the shogun was sleeping. Behind it was a place where the general wife called Ooku, the concubine, and the women who took care of them lived. Such Ooku was a facility peculiar to Edo Castle, but it seems that there were women who took care of the feudal lords in each feudal lord's palace.
Buildings other than the castle tower
The modern castle is a building that looks like a small castle tower [ turret 】there is.
The turret is a building that plays a role in the defense of the castle, and there are always multiple turrets in modern castles, and there are dozens of them in large castles.
Corner turret
Of the turrets, the turret that uses the corners of the Kuruwa is called the [corner turret], and is named after the twenty-four directions depending on its direction and position. The turrets located in the southeast (Tatsumi) were named "Tatsumi turret".
The structure consists of two or three layers, and since the construction of the castle tower was restricted during the Edo period, it seems that it was sometimes built as a symbol of the castle as a substitute for the castle tower.
Tamon Tower
A turret that is built long and narrow like a Nagaya between turrets is called a Tamon turret. The origin of the name is said to be named after Tamon Castle, which was built by Matsunaga Hisahide.
Soldiers could be packed inside and played an important role as a barrier to the castle.
Tsukimi turret
The moon-viewing turret is a turret for the purpose of viewing the moon, and is characterized by an open structure and a large opening compared to other turrets.
Okayama Castle and Matsumoto Castle remain among the existing objects. The Tsukimi turret of Sanuki Takamatsu Castle is also referred to as the "Chakumi turret", and it is said that it is also used for monitoring ships arriving from the sea.
The turret, as it was written as [Yakura], originally had the role of a warehouse built as a place to store the arrows during the battle. Therefore, there are many turrets in the modern castle, and in peacetime it also served as a storage place for storage items such as weapons, salt, miso, firewood, and charcoal.
In Himeji Castle, there is a salt storehouse near the castle tower, and in Osaka Castle, there is a stone storehouse where gunpowder is stored. In addition, it seems that each castle also had a rice brewery that preserves annual tribute rice.