更新日：2024年2月27日

Tenshu-guruwa (Castle Keep Bailey) Stone Wall

Characteristics of the Tenshu-guruwa Stone Wall -Bends of a folding screen-

The stone walls that currently remain in the castle keep bailey consist of stones piled up on only the upper half of the slope, and can be classified into the hachimaki style of stone wall.

Along the planar shape of the stone walls there are outer and inner corners, which resemble a folding screen.

This complicated shape was an innovation that allowed for peripheral attacks on enemies sieging the castle during wartime.

Whilst the hizumi (curves), also known as wadori, can be seen on south side of the uzumimon gate on the west side of the bailey, there are few other areas where they still exist throughout Japan.

Going further south there is another folding screen style area in the wall after the triangular corner.

All of these innovations are part of a defense technique called yokoyagakari, which aims to eliminate blind spots from the bailey and increase the castle’s defensive ability.

On the east side of the castle keep bailey there is an outer corner that would usually be equipped with a turret in larger-scale castles.

Contrarily, on the north-west side of the hon-maru (main bailey) there is an inner corner on the wall that is a common feature of many castles in Japan.