kirikomihagi 切込矧ぎ

Lit. cut and inserted masonry. A type of stone wall *ishigaki 石垣 construction. The individual stones are carefully chiseled in straight lines and laid in courses so that each stone fits tightly with the others to form an even, smooth facing surface. Kirikomihagi was used to build the steepest castle walls, with an incline of about 80 degrees. The wall sloped upward in a concave curve, with the top 25% completely vertical. This type of stone wall construction requires a great deal of time, labor, and resources and therefore was utilized during times of peace when these were in abundance. The Tokugawa Bakufu 徳川幕府 and large han 藩 castles built in the Early modern period used this technique for front entrances. Pounded and inserted masonry is called *uchikomihagi 打込矧ぎ.