Japanese Culture-Catsle-

The Japanese castle is famous for castle tower soaring highly. I think if you hear a Japanese castle, you may think large-scale things such as soaring castle tower. However, the style is a little part of Japanese castle and most Japanese castle do not have their castle tower. Japanese castles have the deep history. The role of them is different from the age. I would like to write about the history of Japanese castle.

It is said that the thing which I can call a castle in Japan was made in Yayoi period about 2,400 ago. In Yayoi period, the difference of the poverty and wealth began to appear and people build the village with a defensive function to defend their wealth. So, it is said that the beginning of the castle in Japan. After that, in 1500 years ago, the technology of construction of a castle was reached from China and Korea. In addition, in those days, large-scale feudal lord appeared. So, castles became large-scale and had the large gates and walls. In Heian era, 1000 years ago, a samurai who specialized in the fight appeared, and therefore the castles were built everywhere of the whole country. When a samurai grasped the government in the Kamakura era 800 years ago, the castles were developed from a fortress to houses of samurais.

In the age of civil strife, more than 100 years from 1467, the Japanese castle progressed drastically, and the most of the castles which had the large-scale castle tower seen today were built in around 1600. In the Edo era, for about 260 years from 1600, the role of castle, especially a castle tower, was changed from a fortress to a symbol of the authority of the feudal lord because Japan was peaceful times. In the times of the Meiji Restoration about 150 years ago, castles were built with the technology that came from Europe and America, for example, Goryokaku Fort in Hakodate. However, the castle was not built very much in the Meiji era, and the castle was just used as a fortress of the army. Therefore, they were taken bombing in World War II, so many castles disappeared.

By the way, do you know that it is said that the castle tower which is called the symbol of the Japanese castle is the fusion of a Japanese building and the European church building? Originally, the castle tower was the oar to watch the enemy and not an excellent building. However, Nobunaga Oda changed the form of it completely by building the castle tower which he built in Azuchi Castle. Nobunaga, who was interested in Christianity buildings, adopted the formality of the tower of the European church, and built the solemn castle tower which we can see. This castle tower changed the conventional role greatly, and castle towers were given a new role; the symbol of the authority.

Japanese castles have very deep history and variation. The role of them is different in the period. Japanese castle is developed by taking in a lot of things, Chinese, Korean, and European. Although Japanese castle is famous for the castle tower, other part of them is also attractive. If you know them, I am very happy.