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| Panoramic view of an internal wall and moat, Edo Castle. |
Whilst in Japan, I went to Himeji Castle and the Edo Castle grounds in Tokyo. These castles were not designed for heavy gunfire, and their architecture reflects that. They have a built stone base with a wooden superstructure. At Himeji, the wood was coated in thick (3cm) white plaster to withstand fire. Around the castles themselves were further outer walls covering many square kilometres.
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| Himeji and Tokyo |
Himeji
Himeji castle was never attacked, and is Japan's finest castle. It is said to resemble a white heron taking flight. The wooden superstructure is not original- it has been pulled down and rebuilt a few times.
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| Main keep from an outer gate |
At the railway station there is a nice model of the castle, showing the main keep and the western bailey. There was a smaller scale model inside the keep which was difficult to photograph, but showed the surrounding countryside and the extended defensive works.
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| From the south: keep at the right, western bailey to the left. |
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| Castle from the east, showing key terrain nearby. |
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| Approaching the keep from the south |
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| Note the different shape of the firing apertures |
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| Windows, with small square ports for firing arquebuses, and a vent for dropping stones. |
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| Main keep |
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| View from the main keep over the western bailey |
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| A lovely garden just outside the castle grounds |
I didn't take any inside pictures of the keep, but it is surprisingly roomy and light compared to European stone castles I have visited.
Edo Castle, Tokyo
You can't get around all of the Edo castle grounds in Tokyo as it comprises the current Imperial Palace. A portion has been set aside for the public, and has a charming garden. There is none of the original castle remaining except for the stonework, and it is hard to visualise what the castle may have looked like.
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| Outer wall, moat, and corner tower. |
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| Diagram of wall construction- these walls are huge! |
I found a marker showing the site of a corridor where, in 1701, Asana unsuccessfully attacked Kiro, and was ordered to commit honourable suicide the same day. He left behind his famous forty-seven retainers, who killed Kiro the next year before committing
seppuku themselves.
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| Forty Seven Ronin began here |
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| Pond, garden, lantern. |
National Museum
Elsewhere in Tokyo is the National Museum. It has a good selection of artefacts- I've photographed much of the armour they had on display. I was never really sure what it was made of- my research confirms metal, laced together. A painter's nightmare.
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| Domaru style armour, 15th century |
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| Saigabachi style helmet, 17th century |
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| Helmet with hair, 17th century |
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| Domaru style armour, 14-15th century |
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| Gusoku style armour, 17th century |
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| Gusoku style armour, 16-17th century |
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| Quiver, bow, and arrows |
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| Demons killing humans |
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| Samurai drama |
In the park around the National Museum, I was surprised to find a memorial commemorating General Ulysses S. Grant's 1879 visit, where he planted a tree. It's not too healthy now.
Next time- Hiroshima.
