The beauty of the Kara hafu

Article posted on Wednesday, November, 23rd, 2011 at 9:36 pm

The Chinese-style gable would easily have to be one of the more attractive elements of traditional Japanese architecture. Reliable sources inform me that the Kara gable (唐破風) has existed in Japan since the Heian Period (794 to 1185). One interesting thing worth noting is that kara (唐), while actually meaning China (specifically the Tang Dynasty), is merely used to denote elegant. Which is exactly what it is, if not actually Chinese.

Below, behind my wonderful family, is the Dazaifu Tenman-gu (shrine) in Fukuoka Prefecture. Quite prominent is its Kara-hafu. You’d have to agree that the shrine is looking pretty good considering it’s been standing since 1591.

Castle towers

Prior to the mid 1500′s the undulating curves of the Kara gable were most commonly found on shrines, temples, gates & palanquins. During the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573 to 1603) though, they were increasingly incorporated into the towers & gates of castles.

You’ll see there are two pictures of the Kara hafu below, and a quick glance may not reveal the subtle yet significant difference. To the left, the Kara gable sits along the edge of the roof. This is known as a Noki kara hafu. To the right, the Kara gable sits atop the roof and forms a small room. This is known as a Mukai kara hafu.

Noki kara hafu – 軒唐破風	Mukai kara hafu – 向唐破風
Uwajima Castle	Matsumoto Castle

Gates

Again, there are two examples. Are they the same? Of course not.

The first kara-mon (formerly of Najima Castle, Fukuoka) has its gable facing the way from which it is entered. The roof on the second gate (Meirin-kan, Hagi) is oriented East-West. Did you spot the difference?

Mukai kara mon – 向唐門	Hira kara mon – 平唐門

… and more gates

This Kara-mon is utterly spectacular. Though originally of Fushimi Momoyama castle, it is now located here at the Nishi Hongan-ji. As a side-note, there is a color photograph of this gate in the Genshoku Nihon no Bijutsu (Vol 12) that shows it completely devoid of paint. Quite a surprising sight, I assure you.

Also in Kyōto is the Kara-mon of Nijō castle. Found in large number on the gate is the 16-petal chrysanthemum; symbol of the Emperor. Prior to these being added in the latter half of the 1800′s, the heraldic crest that adorned the gate was the three-hollyhock-leaf crest of the Tokugawa clan.

So, there you have it. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Chinese-style gable. Did I miss anything?

Saga Castle History Museum

Article posted on Friday, August, 26th, 2011 at 1:06 pm

It is such a pleasing thing to see more and more castle buildings being rebuilt using traditional methods and materials.

You may recall that I recently touched upon this in the post: The Rebuilding Phase. That post was all about the Tenshus (main towers) though. What I’ll be talking about today is the rebuilt Goten (palace) of Saga castle.

A scale model of the rebuilt Saga Castle History Museum. To the right is the Shachi-no-mon, the castle's only surviving structure from the Edo period.

The history of the Hon-maru Goten (本丸御殿)

It should be understood how truly rare it is that a castle be built in the early 1600′s and maintain its form throughout its active life; it was only natural that they evolve. And of course, most castles have felt the burn of… um, fire. Anyway, buildings were lost, alright? I didn’t do it.

It was in 1835, during the reign of the 10th successive lord of Saga domain, that saw most of the buildings of the castle reduced to ash once-again. Three years later, many of the lost buildings had been rebuilt.

Day at the museum

It clearly has the same appearance, and occupies the exact same location as the old Hon-maru Goten, but it’s best to arrive thinking that this is the Saga Castle History Museum and not some authentically restored palace.

Yes, the museum is of wooden-construction and has more tatami mats that you can poke a stick at, but it is very-much a modern building. I suppose electricity, plumbing and even air-conditioning are to be expected nowadays.

Regarding the historical exhibits, they tend to focus on the mid-to-late 1800's. Saga-han’s cannon building prowess receives a great deal of attention, as does the domain’s involvement in the Boshin War. I wonder if the blame for this shouldn’t be squarely put on the epic fires this castle has (barely) endured.

Well, that's about it

On its own, perhaps the Saga Castle History Museum won't make it on anyone must-see list. It just doesn't have that Wow-factor. Having said that, watch me get excited in this (year-old) video. Is it catching?

And for those who just can’t get enough, the palace/museum room-by-room:

Stone throwing windows

Article posted on Friday, August, 19th, 2011 at 8:34 pm

Ishi-otoshi (石落し)

If you look out the window of any modern, multi-storied building, as much as you squish your face to the glass, you cannot see who is knocking on the front door. There are two reasons why with Japanese castles you could. First was the seemingly-climbable, sloping stone walls. And second, there were downward-facing windows. From these openings, the area below could be observed, and in times of war, arrows & other projectiles could be loosed upon the enemy.

Types of Ishi-otoshi

The examples below highlight some of the variations in style & the types of materials used.

Hakamagoshi – 袴腰型 Possibly the most identifiable style of stone throwing window. It features prominently on Himeji's main tower & turrets, Matsumoto's main tower & many of Japan's reconstructed castles. They can be found on corners or, between the corners, on flat wall.	Tobuku – 戸袋型 They resemble the boxes that contain window shutters, and that is exactly what Tobuku means. Check out Kokura castle's top floor to see what I mean. Matsuyama's castle utilized this style extensively. Again, found on corners & in between.
Demado – 出窓型 This style of ishi-otoshi is very common. Not only on main towers but on turrets. They can range in size but all feature a shallow (so they couln't be entered) overhanging section on the first or second floors.	Demado – 出窓型 Essentially the same as the previous Demado-styled window, but you'd have to say it's quite a stylish variation. The curved Kara style gable houses a wooden-framed box which protrudes from the wall & overlooks the water-filled moat below.

Disguised

Though these examples are less visible, approaching enemies would know exactly what they were up against.

Matsue Castle I've highlighted the 2nd-floor Hakamagoshi-style chutes because they are obscured by the darkness of the walls & they are hidden between the double eaves. Now that you know where they are, check out the original picture.

Kumamoto Castle Kumamoto's stone throwing windows are hidden in plain sight. Floor boards along the complete length of the overhanging section could be lifted, thereby offering a relatively unhindered view of any attacker approaching the base of the main tower.

The Rebuilding Phase

Article posted on Friday, August, 12th, 2011 at 1:43 pm

Time and time again, I read of people’s disappointment upon discovering that the traditional Japanese castle that they’ve just visited, is concrete, or that “it has an elevator”. There’s no need for the sad-faced emoticon, it’s plain for all to see.

Have you experienced disappointed with a Japanese castle visit? Let’s face it, who hasn’t? Be sure to leave a comment, I like to hear what you have to say.

The fact is though, that castles with rebuilt main towers are common. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if this category of castle were the most visited. Consider the castles of Ōsaka, Nagoya & Hiroshima, they are far more accessible to the jet-setting tourist than many of Japan’s original castles.

Help is here

To assist those hoping to come away with a more positive experience from their castle visit, I’ve put together the following tables. The coloured boxes will guide you from here on in.

I will give away one thing though, and that is that it looks like the age of concrete replicas just might be over.

Ancient castles – translated from Sengoku no shiro

Article posted on Thursday, August, 4th, 2011 at 10:45 am

I’m very excited to introduce what is the first ever guest post on the Japanese Castle Explorer blog. Paula Curtis of the Shinpai deshou blog, has a strong interest in Japanese castles and has kindly offered the following translation. I would urge everyone to learn more about what the Shinpai deshou blog is all about by clicking on the relevant icons found in the box below. Enjoy!

This is an excerpt translated from Sengoku no shiro 戦国の城 (Sengoku castles) by Owada Tetsuo 小和田哲男. I am not a professional translator, just a castle enthusiast and soon to be medieval specialist, so any mistakes or awkwardness in translation are my own. Kanji for certain keywords not readily available in standard dictionaries have been added in, as well as footnotes and links for clarity.

Paula Curtis

Ancient Castles

Were the beginnings of castles highland settlements and moated settlements?

…In recent years, because of excavations of Yayoi period (300 BC- 300 CE) villages, structures that one ought to call the very first castles are being revealed. Now, it has become mainstream to urge scholars to consider Yayoi villages the oldest form of castles (not the existing kōgishi 神籠石 [1] and Tōhōku jōsaku 城柵 [2]). In this case, villages were highland settlements (高地性集落 ) and moated settlements (環濠集落).

First, as the name suggests, highland settlements were villages created on top of hills or mountains. However, they weren’t just settlements in high places. People established a village by digging continuous with the land on long, narrow plateaus, or digging along a succession of peaks on a mountain, thereby strengthening their defenses. At the Kannonjiyama site in Osaka prefecture, the ruins of roughly 173 buildings were confirmed in the village, and at the Fukikoshibara site in Yamaguchi prefecture, the remains of 10 buildings were also found.

Remains of a highland settlement in Hofu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. (Image credit: Hofu City Website)

Until recently, it was believed that these highland settlements appeared in mid-Yayoi period. However, in the Seto inland area as well as the Kinki region, early Yayoi highland settlements have been found, and it’s been surmised that these settlements began from a rather early stage.

A moated settlement. (Image credit: 水野誠人)

Moated settlements were what brought highland settlements down to level land. They didn’t just dig moats, but examples of defense with fence lines (柵列) also appear, and these settlements completely assume the shape of a castle. There’s a great number of moated settlements that have been found which were built right around the time of Himiko [3] in the 2nd century. In one such example, the Ōzuka site in Kanagawa prefecture, there’s roughly 90 residential structures enclosed by a moat totaling 65 meters in length. The width of the moat is about 4 meters, and brings to mind the moats of medieval clan mansions. At the Yoshinogari site in Saga prefecture, in addition to moats, pillar holes of watchtowers have been found, and it is also said to have possibly been one of the “provinces” of the Yamataikoku (the ancient country of Wa, domain of Queen Himiko).

In Yoshinogari as well as the moated settlement of the Ikegamisone site in Osaka prefecture, storehouses and residences have been discovered outside of their moats. Such a placement outside of the moats would have meant that the moat wasn’t necessarily serving a defensive purpose, and some archaeologists do not see these moated settlements as simply defensive establishments, but a place of commerce for ancient peoples—in other words, some think they may have been ancient markets.

Next sections on ancient castles:
Kōgoishi and Korean-style mountain castles
Castle construction in the time of Emperor Tenji and Chinese style castles
Tōhoku jōsaku

Onigawara – Demons on the roof

Article posted on Saturday, March, 26th, 2011 at 10:38 pm

The term “鬼瓦” refers to the upright roof tile that often bears the grotesque face of a demon. The word, read as Onigawara, has also been the source of some amusement for me while learning more about it for this post. Let’s see why.

• Google translate‘s sole suggestion: pug-ugly!
• jisho.org: 1. decorative ridge-end tile (traditionally bearing the face of a demon and resembling a gargoyle), 2. hideous face (Hmmm…)
• And finally, from jdictionary.com: 1. ridge-end tile; 2. tile with the figure of a devil; 3. gargoyle; 4. one’s wife. (Lulz!)

Seen on towers, temples, gates and walls, this particular type of tile can be found in one of two places, at the ends of the upper-most ridge, or as can be seen below from Matsumoto castle, on one of the downward-sloping ridges.

The following picture, while nowhere near as cool as the preceding one, does illustrate some significant differences. Difference No. 1, there are no hideous faces. It seems these demon tiles have only been around since about the Kamakura period (1185–1333). Prior to this motifs of fauna and flora were common. Yes, and Chinese characters too, I guess.

One other difference is their overall shape. The one on the left is sporting wings. Both of these demon tiles were excavated at Sashiki castle. Incidentally, a castle that had been in use since the 1300′s.

Getting back to those wings, they are known in Japanese as hire (鰭) and means fins, as in a fish’s fins. The fins depicted above are conspicuously plain. Usually they are more flowing, with patterns of waves and such. As much as I’d like to bore you with some examples, I won’t. Unless of course, someone would like to see some more examples… No? That’s okay.. too…

Showa no Daishuri

Article posted on Thursday, March, 17th, 2011 at 12:23 pm

Happening right now at Himeji castle is a major restoration that will see every square inch of its external surface renewed. This means 80,000 roof tiles will be replaced and seven square kilometres of its white-plastered walls will have its plaster reapplied. This mountain of work is slated for completion in around three years. That’ll be March 2014.

This… event is known in Japanese as Heisei no Daishuri (平成の大修理), which translates to the Heisei great repairs. Heisei, being the name of the current period (1990 – ). These actually aren’t the castle’s first great repairs of the modern era. Way back in the Shōwa period (1926 – 1989) there was another, and it was even greater.

Thirty years hard labour

Several turrets & the stone foundations they stood upon collapsed; heavy rain had brought the mighty fortress of Himeji to its knees. A budget & a complete repair plan was speedily put in place.

It all began in 1934 with work commencing on the Hishi Gate (菱の門), the I-no Gate (イの門) and the Taikaku Turret (帯廓櫓). Work on these outer building continued on for many, many years, only being interrupted during the final stages of World War II. 1956 would see the Shōwa great repairs begin proper when surveys began on the central building complex.

Scaffolding was slowly built up and eventually enveloped the main tower, the two lesser main towers and their connecting turrets. It was designed from the outset to withstand typhoons. Always a good idea in land prone to natural disasters as Japan is. A 200-metre-long ramp was also set up which linked the central tower to the third enclosure, the San-no-maru (三の丸). The large third enclosure would be ideal for the storage of materials both old & new and the ramp provided a direct path to transport them.

In February 1957, the tent-like scaffolding was completed. It had required the efforts of 11,350 people & came at a cost of ¥35,000,000. To help put this in perspective, a starting salary for a university graduate at that time was ¥12,000 per year.

Un-building the towers

Disassembly of the main buildings started in April 1957. As you may well easily imagine, each & every item was numbered, measured, photographed and their positions recorded. A very important judgement was also made, if it could be reused. New materials could have been used for the eventual putting-back-together, but whatever could be salvaged would be salvaged.

The removal of each pillar & crossbeam was a long & tricky process. With each one removed, an imbalance was introduced to the remaining structure. Such was the level of caution, only two beams per day were being removed. This work was finally completed on the 31st of January, 1958.

The foundations

A great deal of investigation went into the now, load-lightened stone foundations. What was determined was that it couldn’t reliably carry the weight of the building it was built to bear. Well, didn’t that cause a fuss. The solution was found in modern engineering techniques, which is to say in the use of concrete.

Something of great historical importance came out of all this. Sections of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Himeji castle were unearthed. These remnants dated from the 1580′s. But even these were built atop fortifications from centuries earlier. Setting to one side this amazing discovery, concrete was poured into the base to ensure a steady footing. Ahh… the sweet smell of progress.

Hunt for a new pillar

Examination of the disassembled framework found that one of the two central pillars was rotten and wouldn’t be able to be re-used. The hunt was on for a replacement. A deadline of July 1959 was set. Forests in Shikoku, Kyūshū, Gifu, Nagano, Mie, Wakayama and the castle’s home prefecture of Hyōgo were scoured for a 25-metre replacement. A tall order indeed.

In the heart of Hyōgo Prefecture, a candidate Shinbashira (心柱) was discovered, the vital statistics: 650 years old, 27 metres tall, a basal diameter of 1.26 metres. Hello ladies. The majestic tree was brought down, but its core was found to be rotten at its base. They searched on.

The pristine forests of Ise was home to the next candidate. The idea of removing a centuries-old tree from the precincts of the sacred shrines of Ise was not-at-all welcomed by those in charge. Permission was given though, and it was repaid with disaster. Miscalculations caused the tree to fall awkwardly, the fall rendering it unusable.

Yet again, in Gifu, a tree was successfully felled but then broke in half while it was being transported out of the forest. That happened on the 7th of June, 1959 and time had all but run out.

Two halves

A suitable specimen had proved impossible to acquire. So, in the end it was decided to have a join in the West pillar. This thought really should have occurred earlier as there always was a join. Well, since the time of Ikeda Terumasa (池田輝政) in the early 1600′s there was.

Smooth sailing

Everything then proceeded without delay. Reassembly of the main tower’s frame was completed in April, 1960. The lessor main towers’ frames were completed in September, 1961. The final tasks were the laying of the roof tiles & the application of the fire-resistant, white-plaster walls. Oh, there was one more thing that needed doing, the removal of the skeletal shroud that hung over the central buildings.

June 1st, 1964

A fresh-faced & rejuvenated Himeji castle was presented to the world. There were of course celebrations all round. One of the no-doubt countless items produced to commemorate the efforts of the workers & engineers of the Shōwa no Daishuri was this first-day-of-issue stamp.

It is a fine momento, but I wonder if it really encapsulates the sweat and tears involved.

Kyu-Hosokawa Gyobutei

Article posted on Saturday, February, 12th, 2011 at 11:31 pm

Today we’re going to visit the Kyū-Hosokawa Gyōbutei. At times, misleadingly billed as a Daimyō’s residence, it actually started life as a second home for Okitaka, whose brother was the Daimyō. So, while not actually being a Daimyo’s residence, it remains a fine example of a home belonging to the upper echelons of the then ruling military class.

The building complex was built soon after 1646. Between the years of 1688 and 1711, it was remodelled & expanded on several occasions. It wasn’t until the age of the samurai had passed that it became the primary residence of Okitaka’s descendants. In 1985, it was designated an Important Cultural Property of Kumamoto Prefecture.

Location and layout

From 1990 and lasting 4 years, all buildings were moved to their current location from Higashi kokai, approximately one-and-a-half kilometres to the East of where it now stands.

The image above represents the site of Kumamoto castle. To the extreme left of the map is the Kyū-Hosokawa Gyōbutei compound. This part of the castle is known as the San-no-maru, and is in the North-West corner of the castle grounds.

Entry is gained via the Nagaya-mon. This type of gate more closely resembles a simple, rectangular building with double doors allowing passage through it.

Follow the short path and you’ll arrive at the entrance, and like so many others, it features a beautiful kara-hafu style gable. Naturally, the shoes will have to come off.

The first few rooms are where visitors could be greeted. As you make your way around in an anti-clockwise direction, you’ll then pass through the guest quarters. Continuing on, you’ll pass through the study, where high-ranking guests were entertained, then on to the private chambers of the Lord and his family.

The final major wing contains the amenities and the servants’ quarters.

The living quarters

The rooms are plainly decorated yet elegant. Most rooms contain simple exhibits such as furniture, cosmetics boxes and other small furnishings.

Amenities

The wing containing the kitchen and the servants’ quarters was perhaps the most interesting.

Shown here is the kitchen, and you can see large pots and a sink in the background. Just out of frame is a refrigerator, covered with magnets & old fast-food menus.
 

Servant’s living quarters

Climbing these stairs isn’t allowed, so we’ll just have to settle for this shot. What I can tell you is that you’d find a pretty spartan room, not even any tatami flooring. That was reserved for the head male & female servants (which are down-stairs).

A quiet corner

I don’t think this room is anything particular special. I just like the shot. Aside for the three lanterns, there is a Jingasa, not exactly a helmet but simple head wear for those in the military. As for the room’s location, it sits to the right of the main entrance.

Kumamoto onion

Article posted on Saturday, January, 29th, 2011 at 12:32 pm

Every Japanese castle was made up of layers; rings of defence that, if breached, would still be at the mercy of turrets & arrow-slot-laden walls further in, then finally, the main tower itself. In a place & time of small-scale siege weapons, it was a world of hurt.

A world of hurt was exactly what Katō Kiyomasa experienced in Korea during a prolonged siege at Ulsan castle (蔚山倭城) in the Winter of 1598. Such was the wretched bleakness of that siege that he would set his mind to build arguably Japan’s strongest castles on his return to his home province of Higo (肥後国).

The result was Kumamoto castle, and it means business. There is no showing off with car-sized stones from the backs of trucks, no fancy-pants, gold-leaf roof tiles. Kiyomasa knew exactly what was important, and it was more than just truly ingeniously-designed rings of doom! The soldiers manning those walls needed sustenance.

• over 120 wells were dug to ensure an unfailing water supply
• Ginkgo trees were planted within the grounds. (the tree produces edible nuts)
• Tatami flooring was stuffed, not with rice straw, but with vegetable stalks so as they could be eaten

Tatami stuffing & nuts anyone? There’s plenty to go around!

The five National treasures of Matsumoto Castle

Article posted on Thursday, January, 27th, 2011 at 8:39 pm

When it comes to Japanese castles & National Treasures, the list is rather short at just five. The four castles of Matsumoto, Himeji, Inuyama & Hikone get the honour due to their beautifully preserved main towers (天守 – Tenshu). The final castle on the list is that of Nijō, which has actually been without its main tower since 1750. It’s the magnificence of the Ni-no-maru Palace that has earned it not only national-treasure status but also UNESCO World Heritage listing.

For now at least, let’s just take a look at Matsumoto Castle, I think you’ll find there is something a little odd about this national treasure business. What most of us would believe is one building is actually five national treasures all rolled into one. Wow!