Keywords
Architecture
Castles
A passageway in a castle, used to clean out the moat. An opening in the wall of the main compound of a castle *honmaru 本丸, that lead down from inside the castle to the moat. Used in peacetime for the purpose of removing garbage which had accumulated in the moat. The chiritori consisted in a small gap in the castle embankments and walls, fitted with stone steps *gangi 雁木 that led down to the water. There was also a dock that could be used for secretly entering and leaving the castle by boat; when used for this purpose the passageway was known as funeiri 船入. The chiritori served the interior section of the castle complex, and not the outer sections of the castle where it might be of use to an enemy sneaking in.