Medieval Japanese Castles Essay

1143 Words5 Pages
Despite the hundreds of castles built in the Medieval Japan time period only twelve survive to this very day. The history of Medieval Japanese castles is still evident in today’s society through structures, buildings or documents. After much research on castle in Medieval Japan I came to the question of ‘What was the purpose of constructing castles in the time of Medieval Japan?’ During the Medieval Japanese period out of all of the castles built, two castles are testament to this and answer the question of ‘What was the purpose of constructing castles in the time of Medieval Japan?’ These castles are the Himeji Castle and the Gifu Castle. The Himeji Castle is also known, as ‘The White Heron Castle’ where it is located in the center of…show more content…
Despite looking at the defensive aspect of the Himeji Castle this castle could also be used for to look at art, architecture, how well it used its surroundings for defensive purposes, how these castles become symbolic of Medieval Japan culture and which risks could affect the state of the castle. On the contrary, the Gifu Castle was a way of displaying the wealth and to state the power of the daimyo. The Gifu Castle is a primary source, which is a building. The source comes from Japan where it lies on top of Mt.Kinka (338m). Lord Nikaido is the creator of the castle and is of Japanese descent and as his name suggests he is from the class of Lords. Lord Nikaido, governed this region back in the early 13th century, built the Gifu Castle and it was initially built as a fortress in 1201. Similar to Sadanori, Nikaido lived in the Gifu Castle, which was later renovated by Saito Dosan in 1539. The purpose of the castle was at first a fortress, then changed to a castle, which was not only for defense but also a display of wealth and a place of governance. The source was created for masters where they could govern and put on display their wealth through the size of the tenshu (main building). The larger and more decorated the tenshu was the richer and more powerful the master
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