Medieval Japanese Castles
  | Japan's ealiest defence against invasion was a series of castles (shiro) built along mountain crags and cliffs, where they could gaurd important or strategic sites such as ports, rivers or crossings. These castles were built by Daimyo (fuedal lords) for retreat when under attack and held weapons and stores of food in case of prolonged battles. Another purpose of the castles was to display the Daimyo's wealth and power. The bigger the castle, the stronger and wealthier the Daimyo. Therefore, the planning of these castles was detailed and time consuming. Not only did Daimyo's castle have to reflect his power, but it also had to take advantage of surrounding land as much as possible, as farms and gardens would be set up. Once a castle was built, its grounds would usually bring in many people from other places. A castle and its surrounding community was self sufficient, with its own craftsmen, farmers and merchants who provided for the communitie's needs. People of the city would contribute to the building of the castle because it would become a showcase of their skills and because the growth of the castle community would profit the surrounding city through trade and population growth.
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Japanese castles were constructed primarily out of wood and stone and many have been destroyed over time. The destruction of these castles happened particularly in the Sengoku period (from 1467–1603), when many of these castles were first built. Many castles were later rebuilt either in the Sengoku and in the Edo Period that followed, or more recently, as national heritage sites and museums.
It is estimated that once, there were up to five thousand castles in Japan. Today, that number had dropped to over 100. Some castles such as the ones at Matsue and Kochi remain in their original forms, not having suffered any damage from sieges or other threats but some castles such as Hiroshima Castle were re-built in 1958, after being destroyed in the atomic bombing.
created by Matilda Russell and Jessica Downey |
