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Ishiotoshi at Himeji-jo.
(Himeji castle brochure)
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Ishiotoshi, (stone droppings), were small openings which protruded out from the wall slightly. From these openings the defender could throw stones or boiling water to stop the enemy from scaling up the wall. ( Kodansha Encyclopaedia p248)This defence feature was also used frequently in European castles.
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Sama otherwise known as loopholes were a necessary part of the defence system of any Japanese castle. A loophole was either a square, circular or triangular hole in the wall used for shooting firearms and/or arrows through. The cross-section of a loophole was hour-glass in shape. This reduced the possibility of an arrow or bullet going into the castle and allowed the freedom necessary for firing( Nishi and Hazumi What is Japanese Architecture? p99 )
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The hour-glass shape of Sama.
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DECORATIVE FEATURES OF JAPANESE CASTLES
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The roof of Himeji-jo.
(Himeji castle brochure)
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The roof of the Japanese castle was made a feature of unlike that of its European counterpart. Gable was used to decorate the edge of the roof. Triangular gable known as chidori hafu "plover gable" and kara hafu which meaning "exotic gable", was used. ( Hinago Japanese Castles p107) Many historians believe that the roof of the Japanese castle was also elaborately decorated for defensive reasons.
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Gables on the roof of Nijo castle.
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Adding gable was seen to add confusion to the enemy, making it difficult for them to determine how many levels there was to the donjon, and how many towers actually existed within the castle grounds.
The roof of Himeji-jo has closely interlocking roof shapes and these create a constantly changing kaleidoscope of forms, effective for beauty and defence.
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Walls, towers and gates were usually topped with rows of inverted and semi-circular overlapping tiles. The row at the outer edge always bore the crest of the family that owned or built the castle.( Kirby From Castle to Teahouse p17)
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The dolphin that is positioned on
the top of Himeji-jo.
(Himei Castle brochure)
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The roof of the Japanese castle often had a pair of dolphins made of tile or metal on it. These dolphins were referred to as shachi. The male was placed at one end of the roof and the female at the opposite end. They were considered as guardian angels and wore off evil spirits.( Kirby From Castle to Teahouse p17)
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