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Mountaintop Castle / Yamajiro
The mountaintop castles were the earliest ones built of all three types.
They were used mainly for military purposes, unlike the other two, which
over time, developed the more artistic and authority symbolism along with
its defensive characteristics. The greatest advantage of the yamajiro's
location is its wonderful view to the many miles around. Its high altitude
also made it harder to attack, so fortification was less needed than that of
the flatland castles. Because of this, the best way to defeat these mountaintop
castles were to place them under siege. In order to be prepared for sieges,
storage places for food and supplies were needed in the castles.
Still, these castles were less comfortable and homelike (unlike
the flatland or
flatland-mountain castles)
because of their isolation. Therefore, their owners generally had homes
in other places.
- To see an enlarged photo of your castle, click on its picture.
- To find out more information about it, click on its name.
Bitchu-Matsuyama Castle
This castle was built in the late 17th century and the number of
levels its tenshu contains is due to ancient Japanese superstition.
Gifu Castle
In the early 13th century, this castle was built, but its name was not
given until later. Since then, there have been many owners and battles
over it.
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