更新日：2024年2月27日

Kagami-ishi on the Side of the Gate

Kagami-ishi on the Side of the Gate

On the corners of the stone wall on the front of the castle gate there are giant rocks on both the left and right sides.

These rocks are referred to as kagami-ishi (mirror stones).

In the past, these kinds of giant stones were used intentionally on either side of the gates or surrounding areas to illustrate the grandeur of the castle or power of the lord.

Similar stones can be found in Hikone Castle’s taikomon tower, Okayama Castle’s hon-maru (main bailey), and Matsumoto Castle’s taikomon stone wall.

The sections where these huge stones are used do not use sangi-zumi (a stacking method where the long and short sides of the stones are alternately distributed to the left and right in order to strengthen the corners of the stone wall).

Additionally, the oblong stones are also uneven, and there are parts that cannot be said to have used sangi-zumi.