Japanese castle

Japanese castles, called 'Shiro' (城) in Japanese, were large fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their most well-known form in the 16th century. Like European castles, the castles of Japan were built to guard important (or strategic) sites, such as ports, river crossings, or crossroads, and almost always incorporated the landscape into its defense.

Related Topics:
Japanese - European castles

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Though they were built to last, and used more stone in their construction than most Japanese buildings, castles were still constructed primarily of wood, and many were destroyed over the years. This was especially true during the later Sengoku, or 'Warring States' period, when many of these castles were first built. However, many were rebuilt, either during the Sengoku or Edo periods, or more recently, as national heritage sites or museums. Matsue Castle is probably the only castle in Japan to have never been attacked or suffer any damage, and what remains today is of the original structure, built in 1611. Hiroshima Castle, on the opposite end of the spectrum, was destroyed in the atomic bombing, and was rebuilt in 1958 as a museum.

Related Topics:
Sengoku - Matsue Castle - 1611 - Hiroshima Castle - Atomic bombing - 1958

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The character '城', normally read as shiro, is read as jō when it is attached to a word, such as in the name of a particular castle. Thus, for example, Osaka Castle is called osaka-jō in Japanese.

Related Topics:
Osaka Castle - Japanese

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~