Castles like that of Takashima aren’t that rare; there’s a fair amount of stonework, a moat & a multi-story, concrete main tower. And just to prove my point, I’ll rattle off a few more: Okayama, Hiroshima, Kokura, Nagoya, Hirado, Aizu Wakamatsu… I could go on, but I won’t.

There is something about the site of Takashima castle though, that really appeals to me. The stonework is very tidy, the inner-moat is more or less complete and the external appearance of the main tower is faithful to the one that was torn down (yes, on purpose) in 1875. How lucky that photographs taken in the earliest part of the Meiji period (1868-1912) have survived to allow the main tower to be rebuilt as accurate as has been.

The Tenshu has quite a unique look about it. Check out the long, over-hanging copper roof and the triple-windowed Kirizumahafu (切妻破風) of the top floor. And what’s the deal with the exposed wood? We’d normally see that blackened (Kumamoto castle). Heck, while I’m at it, why aren’t those eaves plastered?

I probably shouldn’t be dragging Japan Dave’s name into this, but it’s because of his excellent HDR images that I gave this a go. (Not that this is a true HDR.)