The castles of Japan are a product of the country's long history of civil warnd samurai rule from the Middle Ages to mid-19th century. They functionedoth as military fortresses as well as symbols of authority. Theyncorporated powerful mechanisms for warding off attackers, yet as symbolshey were possessed of immense beauty and grace.;This study is divided intoour parts: the first examines who built these castles and why, with anncisive look at Japanese history and the internecine fighting betweenamurai clans; the second part discusses the castle as a fortress - themportance of its location, its layout, stone walls and moats, towers, gates,hooting holes, and stone drops; the third part covers the beauty of theastle as a symbol, covering the intricate craftsmanship seen in structuraletail and the aesthetics of the samurai class itself; and the fourth partontains practical information on visiting castles and gleaning the most from first-hand view.
Samurai Castles features hundreds of stunning color photographs and little-known details about the most important and well-preserved Samurai castles in Japan, including their history, design and military features. Japan's ancient castles provide profound insights into the country's compelling military history. Discover the secrets of Japan's feudal past by exploring the most famous castles of the Samurai era. The enormous stone walls, multi-level towers, and sophisticated defense systems are not merely impressive fortresses, but spectacular works of Japanese architecture, constructed without the use of steel or modern equipment. These monumental structures fulfilled a need for protection without sacrificing aesthetic values. Understanding the cultural contexts of these Samurai castles helps create a better understanding of Japanese culture today. In this fascinating Japanese castle book, you will discover the rich history and creators of famous castles such as Himeji, Osaka, and Nijo that you would otherwise need to travel to Japan to experience in person. Chronicling the story of each building conveys a greater understanding of how and why they were built, and identifies their unique features for historians, architecture aficionados, world travelers, and Japanophiles alike. With over two hundred color images, numerous diagrams, maps, and detailed descriptions, Samurai Castles is the most comprehensive Japanese history book on this intriguing topic.
The landscape of 16thand 17th-century Japan was dominated by the graceful and imposing castles constructed by the powerful 'daimyo' of the period. In this the most turbulent era in Japanese history, these militarily sophisticated structures provided strongholds for the consolidation and control of territory, and inevitably they became the focus for many of the great sieges of Japanese history: Nagashino (1575), Kitanosho (1583), Odawara (1590), Fushimi (1600), Osaka (1615) and Hara (1638), the last of the battles that brought an end to a period of intense civil war. This title traces their development from the earliest timber stockades to the immense structures that dominated the great centres of Osaka and Edo.
Considering Castles and Tenshu -- Modern Castles on the Margins -- Overview: "from Feudalism to the Edge of Space" -- From Feudalism to Empire -- Castles and the Transition to the Imperial State -- Castles in the Global Early Modern World -- Castles and the Fall of the Tokugawa -- Useless Reminders of the Feudal Past -- Remilitarizing Castles in the Meiji Period -- Considering Heritage in Early Meiji -- Castles and the Imperial House -- The Discovery of Castles, 1877-1912 -- Making Space Public -- Civilian Castles and Daimyo Buyback -- Castles as Sites and Subjects of Exhibitions -- Civil Society and the Organized Preservation of Castles -- Castles, Civil Society, and the Paradoxes of "Taisho Militarism" -- Building an Urban Military -- Castles and Military Hard Power -- Castles as Military Soft Power -- Challenging the Military -- The military and Public in Osaka -- Castles in War and Peace: Celebrating Modernity, Empire, and War -- The Early Development of Castle Studies -- The Arrival of Castle Studies in Wartime -- Castles for town and country -- Castles for the empire -- From feudalism to the edge of space -- Castles in war and peace II: Kokura, Kanazawa, and the Rehabilitation of the -- Nation -- Desolate gravesites of fallen empire: what became of castles -- The imperial castle and the transformation of the center -- Kanazawa castle and the ideals of progressive education -- Losing our traditions: lamenting the fate of japanese heritage -- Kokura castle and the politics of japanese identity -- "Fukko": hiroshima castle rises from the ashes -- Hiroshima castle: from castle road to macarthur boulevard and back -- Prelude to the castle: rebuilding hiroshima gokoku shrine -- Reconstructions: celebrations of recovery in hiroshima -- Between modernity and tradition at the periphery and the world stage -- The weight of Meiji: the imperial general headquarters in hiroshima and the -- Meiji centenary -- Escape from the center: castles and the search for local identity -- Elephants and castles: odawara and the shadow of tokyo -- Victims of history I: Aizu-wakamatsu and the revival of grievances -- Victims of history II: Shimabara castle and the Enshrinement of loss -- Southern Barbarians at the gates: Kokura castle's struggle with authenticity -- Japan's new castle builders: recapturing tradition and culture -- Rebuilding the Meijo: (re)building campaigns in Kumamoto and Nagoya -- No business like castle business: castle architects and construction companies -- Symbols of the people? conflict and accommodation in Kumamoto and Nagoya -- Conclusions.
Japanese castles cast a spell on all those who set their eyes on them. They are the product of a people whose history might be steeped in blood and drama, yet whose hands produced works of breathtaking refinement. This groundbreaking encyclopedia is the first work in the English language to offer a comprehensive overview of the history, architecture, and all the attending aspects of Japanese castles. It references a total of 370 castles, giving unprecedented in-depth information on all of Japan's remaining original castles, 101 of its reconstructions, and 68 of its major ruins. Comprised of five parts, it covers all aspects of Japan's rich castle culture. It covers their long and fascinating history: from the earliest fortifications during the late sixth century, the rise of mountain strongholds during the Kamakura period, the veritable explosion of castles during the Warring States period, the vast Tokugawa citadels of the early Edo period, the incredibly destructive years of the early Meiji period, the dramatic years of World War II, and the post-war decades of revival and reconstruction. It covers their various functional aspects: the epic construction projects involving thousands of laborers and specialists, the emerging castle towns, the laws that regulated a castle's garrison, and its town's populace. It deals with the various methods of siege warfare and the many other dangers facing a medieval castle. And it revisits what it was like to enter a magnificent stronghold such as Edo Castle at the height of its glory. It covers the countless design features: the selection of their location, the layouts of their walls and moats. It describes in detail the types of keeps, turrets, gates, bridges, and many other castle structures. And it goes into the complicated terminology of their architectural details. Its most impressive feature, however, is the 400-page long, one-by-one in-depth biography of each castle and ruin of note: their origin, their often dramatic history, the layout of their grounds, the architectural features of their buildings, their sad demise, and, in many cases, their remarkable recovery. Further context and background information is given in an appendix with detailed maps, comprehensive lists of Japan's castles at various time periods, those abolished during the Meiji period, and those in the top 100-all rounded off with an extensive 350-term glossary and an 1800-entry index. For anyone with a serious interest in Japanese castles, this 600-page, full-color tome with over 700 images and maps is the ultimate go-to reference.
The Japanese invasion and occupation of Korea, which lasted from 1592 to 1598, was the only occasion in Japanese history when samurai aggression was turned against a foreign country. During the occupation of Korea the Japanese built 25 wajo or castles. Unlike the castles built in Japan, these fortifications were never developed or modernized after the Japanese departure. The details of late 16th-century castle construction are therefore better preserved than at many other sites. Written by Stephen Turnbull, an expert in the subject, this book examines the castles built by the Japanese in Korea, as well as the use made of existing Korean fortifications, particularly city walls. This resulted in curious hybrid fortifications that dominated the landscape until the Japanese were pushed out of the peninsula by a furious onslaught from huge Chinese armies.
Dr Stephen Turnbull is internationally recognised for his research into and writing on Japanese military history. Here he applies his scholarship to an account of the evolution of Japanese defensive architecture and engineering, from early earthworks through to wooden and earth castles and, finally, the emergence of the stone towers that are so characteristic of the samurai. He also plots the adaptation of Japanese castles to accommodate the introduction of firearms. With unpublished photographs from the author's private collection and full-colour artwork, including detailed cutaways, this is an essential guide to the fascinating development of Japanese castles.
An eye-opening account of the first encounter between England and Japan, by the acclaimed author of Nathaniel's Nutmeg In 1611, the merchants of London's East India Company received a mysterious letter from Japan, written several years previously by a marooned English mariner named William Adams. Foreigners had been denied access to Japan for centuries, yet Adams had been living in this unknown land for years. He had risen to the highest levels in the ruling shogun's court, taken a Japanese name, and was now offering his services as adviser and interpreter. Seven adventurers were sent to Japan with orders to find and befriend Adams, in the belief that he held the key to exploiting the opulent riches of this forbidden land. Their arrival was to prove a momentous event in the history of Japan and the shogun suddenly found himself facing a stark choice: to expel the foreigners and continue with his policy of isolation, or to open his country to the world. For more than a decade the English, helped by Adams, were to attempt trade with the shogun, but confounded by a culture so different from their own, and hounded by scheming Jesuit monks and fearsome Dutch assassins, they found themselves in a desperate battle for their lives. Samurai William is the fascinating story of a clash of two cultures, and of the enormous impact one Westerner had on the opening of the East.
Inventing the Way of the Samurai examines the development of the 'way of the samurai' - bushido; - which is popularly viewed as a defining element of the Japanese national character and even the 'soul of Japan'. Rather than a continuation of ancient traditions, however, bushido; developed from a search for identity during Japan's modernization in the late nineteenth century. The former samurai class were widely viewed as a relic of a bygone age in the 1880s, and the first significant discussions of bushido at the end of the decade were strongly influenced by contemporary European ideals of gentlemen and chivalry. At the same time, Japanese thinkers increasingly looked to their own traditions in search of sources of national identity, and this process accelerated as national confidence grew with military victories over China and Russia. Inventing the Way of the Samurai considers the people, events, and writings that drove the rapid growth of bushido, which came to emphasize martial virtues and absolute loyalty to the emperor. In the early twentieth century, bushido; became a core subject in civilian and military education, and was a key ideological pillar supporting the imperial state until its collapse in 1945. The close identification of bushido; with Japanese militarism meant that it was rejected immediately after the war, but different interpretations of bushido; were soon revived by both Japanese and foreign commentators seeking to explain Japan's past, present, and future. This volume further explores the factors behind the resurgence of bushido, which has proven resilient through 130 years of dramatic social, political, and cultural change.
