Definitions and Terms
Like it’s European counterpart a Japanese castle was a very complex structure and there are lots of things about them that you will recognize. But there are also parts of a castle that you never heard of or maybe heard of but don’t really know what they are!
Here are some definitions, explanations and drawings of many of the parts of castles in Japan.
Arrow Loops
– These were slots in the walls and structures that were used to shoot arrows through. They came in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
Ashlar
– Blocks of smooth square stone. They can be of any kind of stone.
Bailey: Similar to Castles found in Europe. This is a courtyard or open space surrounded by walls.The walls that make up the Bailey are also considered to be part of the Bailey.
A Japanese castle could have several. Sometimes they were called the upper bailey and lower bailey or the west bailey and east bailey.
Barbican
A stone structure that protected the gate of a castle. Think of it as a gatehouse. It usually had a small tower on each side of the gate where guards could stand watch.
Barmkin
A yard surrounded by a defensive wall
Bartizan
A small turret at the corner of a tower or wall. It is usually at the top but not always.
Bastion
A tower or turret projecting from a wall or at the junction of two walls
Battlements
These are the structures at the tops of the walls surrounding a castle.
Picture what you have seen in the movies where archers are at the top of the wall and firing arrows between open slots down on the attackers.
These shapes at the top (Where the archers position themselves for battle) are called battlements.
They are also referred to as crenellations. For several centuries a license was required in order to fortify a building and make it more castle-like. This was called a crenellation license
Courtyard
The open area with the curtain walls of a castle
Curtain Wall
The stone walls around a castle
Drawbridge
This was a wooden bridge in front of the main gate of the castle. In the early centuries of castles it was moved horizontal to the ground and in the later centuries it was built so it could raise up in a hinged fashion
Dungeon
A deep dark cell typically underground and underneath a castle. This is a derivative of the word Dunjon.
Embrasure
An opening in a parapet wall.
GateHouse
A strongly built and fortified main entrance to a castle. It often has a guard house and or living quarters
Hall or Great Hall
This is the major building inside th walls of a castle
Hoarding: a covered wooden gallery above a tower the floor had slats or slots to allow defenders to drop object on besiegers. They could also drop liquids and projectiles.
Keep
This definition changed slightly over the centuries of castle building. I
n the early years of stone castle building the Keep was a standalone structure that could be defended and often square in shape.
Over the centuries these structures were improved upon and built around.
Thus a castle was made that was a larger and more complex structure.
The main tower that this was built around was still called the Keep and it was usually the tallest and strongest structure in the castle. It was also used as the last line of defense during siege or attack
Machicolations
The openings between the corbels of a parapet.
They form areas that stick out along the top of the wall and defenders inside the castle can drop items like boiling oil and rocks onto attackers.
Merlons
The parts of parapet walls between embrasures
Moat
A Body of water surrounding the outer wall of a castle. It was often around 5 to 15 feet deep and it was sometimes within the outer wall -between the outer wall and the inner wall. The primary purpose of the moat wasn’t to stop attackers it was to stop tunnelers. Tunneling under a castle was an effective means of collapsing the walls or infiltrating it. A moat would cause any tunnel to collapse.
Murder Hole
An opening in the roof of a gateway over an entrance. Used to drop projectiles or other things onto the besiegers
Oriel Window
A window or set of windows that stick out from a building.
Think of bay windows. They were made of stone or wood and often times had corbels underneath to support them
Portcullis
This is a metal or wood grate that was dropped vertically just inside the main gate to the castle
Postern
A small gate at the back of a castle. Often considered to be a “Back Door
Rampart
Picture the battlements in the previous definition.
The battlements are the top sections of the outer wall of the castle.
Now to access these battlements the archers would stand on a walk way that was a wall in it’s own right.
This walkway is built right up against the outer wall and is called the Rampart.
Shouldered Arch
This is a style of arch building with stone.
The arch itself can be straight or arched an on each side is a corbel (shoulder) for support.
Ward
The area inside the walls of a castle. Often also called the Courtyard
Yett
Iron gates at the entrance of a castle.
Nagoya Like It Is 