A fort located at a strategic location on a sea coast, riverbank, or island. It was furnished with large guns. Daiba were…

Also written 大陰虎口. A simple, early form of castle entrance *koguchi …

Lit. large *tenshu 天守. The principal tower. The largest tenshu in a…

A wall projecting 15-30 cm outward from the flat top, *inubashiri 犬走り, of a…

A compound that juts out or is slightly separated from the main components of a castle complex, which include: the main…

1　Outer citadel. Also tsukejiro 付け城, hajiro 端城, edajiro 枝城. A type of branch…

A loophole, *sama 狭間, that projects out from the frame of a window opening in…

1　Lit. earthen bridge. An earthen bridge, which is made by leaving an unexcavated section of moat in front…

Also dorui 土塁. An earthen embankment, earthwork, or rampart. A defensive embankment surrounding a castle or a…

The foundation bed, shiki 敷, of an earthen embankment, *doi 土居. It has…

Lit. independent donjon or keep. Also called dokuritsushiki tenshu 独立式天守, dokuritsu tenshukaku 独立天守閣. A…

1　The flat top of an embankment, *doi 土居, also called *…

The innermost compound *kuruwa 郭 of a castle. Sometimes called *…

Also *ni-no-maru 二の丸, ni-no-kuruwa 二の郭, naka-no-maru 中の丸.…

Castle plan; general term for the layout of a castle and its component structures. Lit. "stretched rope," the term is said…

The *jōkamachi 城下町, or town below the castle in the late medieval…

Also read nejō. Lit. "root castle." The base of military operations. When several castles comprise a unit, …

Lit. "second circle." The second compound outside of, or immediately adjacent to the main compound *…

A castle compound to the west of the main compound *honmaru 本丸. In a early-…

Also pronounced hōkadai. Also noroshidai 狼煙台 or noroshiba 狼煙場. A fire beacon; a stone platform on…

1　Also called *ishigaki 石垣; ishigaketsumi 石崖積; …

Lit. "cloth construction." Ashlar construction. Also termed nunozumi 布積 (cloth piling). A technique used in dry…