noroshidai 烽火台

Also pronounced hōkadai. Also noroshidai 狼煙台 or noroshiba 狼煙場. A fire beacon; a stone platform on which a fire could be set in order to send signals for rapid communication among strategic castles or fortifications. During the daytime signals were sent using smoke, while at night fire was used. The signal fire platforms were constructed on readily observable mountain summits. For example, Kasuga yamajiro 春日山城 in Niigata Prefecture, was the center of a communication network that extended in every direction. These signal fire sites were comprised of a stone platform for the signal fire, a dwelling for the guard, and a storehouse for wood.