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 *…

Lit. "belt compound." A long narrow castle compound. Obiguruwa were often constructed on the top of an earthen…

Lit. "fan slope." Also ōgikōbai 扇勾配 or miyakōbai 宮勾配 (shrine slope). The concave pitch of a stone…

Also written 扇子の縄. A castle plan shaped like a folding fan wherein the fortifications are distributed on either side of the…

Lit. "hillcastle." Also termed kyūryō jōkaku 丘陵城郭.
1　A castle built on a hillock, oka…

A castle wall that is undulates with indentations and protrusions. It is designed to allow for the strategic placement of…

A loophole in a wall *oribei 折塀 that zigzags back and forth like a folding screen *…

Also written 追手.
The front of a castle or fortification. Contrast with karamete 搦手 (the rear of a castle…

The front gate of a castle. Derive from *ōte 大手, the front of a castle or…