Kuruwa
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
term that refers to the walls of a Japanese castle
, and the regions bounded by the arrangement of those walls. The term may also be written as 郭, and the term is also used for castles built after the Edo period
. The kuruwa serves as a defensive territory, provides space for additional castle facilities, and contains the living quarters for common soldiers, making it an important fixture of all Japanese castles. Most castles built during the middle ages
contain many kuruwa of small area, while those built during or after the early modern period
often contain a lesser number of kuruwa of larger area. The western equivalent is the motte-and-bailey
.
There are three major styles of kuruwa arrangement:
Many castles use a combination of the above three styles, and may fit into multiple categories of arrangement. Some castles may not be categorizable at all. Smaller kuruwa regions called and were sometimes placed around the central kuruwa in some arrangements. refers to a kuruwa that is placed independent from the central kuruwa, and refers to a kuruwa that is placed specifically to guard an important entrance. See below for more related terms.
. Many castles contain kuruwa named after particular people or places.
Honmaru
Tenshumaru
Ninomaru & sannomaru
Nishinomaru
Obikuruwa & koshikuruwa
Sōkuruwa
Demaru
Umadashi
Mizunote kuruwa
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
term that refers to the walls of a Japanese castle
Japanese castle
' were fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century...
, and the regions bounded by the arrangement of those walls. The term may also be written as 郭, and the term is also used for castles built after the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. The kuruwa serves as a defensive territory, provides space for additional castle facilities, and contains the living quarters for common soldiers, making it an important fixture of all Japanese castles. Most castles built during the middle ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
contain many kuruwa of small area, while those built during or after the early modern period
Early modern period
In history, the early modern period of modern history follows the late Middle Ages. Although the chronological limits of the period are open to debate, the timeframe spans the period after the late portion of the Middle Ages through the beginning of the Age of Revolutions...
often contain a lesser number of kuruwa of larger area. The western equivalent is the motte-and-bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
.
Arrangement
The shape and structure of a castle were important factors in determining the victor of castle sieges, and the castle layout, or was arranged with the intention of giving the defender an insurmountable advantage. The kuruwa regions were planned for after the basic layout of the castle grounds was decided. The three basic kuruwa regions are the ; the core of the castle, and the and , which serve as auxiliary areas.There are three major styles of kuruwa arrangement:
- The ninomaru and sannomaru surround the honmaru at the center. This arrangement increases the castle's defense in every direction, but surrounding each kuruwa requires a large area of land to be alloted to the castle grounds. Yamagata Castle is an example of a castle that uses this arrangement.
- The honmaru and ninomaru are arranged side by side. This causes the depth of the castle to increase, but the sides and rear of the honmaru are exposed, making the castle more vulnerable to attacks on areas other than the central gate. Matsuyama CastleMatsuyama Castle (Iyo)is a flatland-mountain castle that was built in 1603 on Mount Katsuyama, whose height is 132 meters, in Matsuyama city in Ehime Prefecture . It is not to be confused with Bitchū Matsuyama Castle.- History :...
and Morioka CastleMorioka Castleis a castle in the city of Morioka, Iwate, Japan. Monument selected by the country. It was the place of residence of the Nanbu family of Morioka Han. It is also generally called , but strictly saying this indicates another castle.- General information :...
both use this kuruwa arrangement.
- The honmaru is placed adjacent to the castle walls, and additional kuruwa are placed surrounding the honmaru. This arrangement is suited for castles built along natural barriers like swamps, rivers, mountains, or cliffs, since the natural barrier can cover the exposed side of the honmaru. Okayama CastleOkayama Castleis a Japanese castle in the city of Okayama in Okayama Prefecture in Japan. The main tower was completed in 1597, destroyed in 1945 and replicated in concrete in 1966...
employs this arrangement.
Many castles use a combination of the above three styles, and may fit into multiple categories of arrangement. Some castles may not be categorizable at all. Smaller kuruwa regions called and were sometimes placed around the central kuruwa in some arrangements. refers to a kuruwa that is placed independent from the central kuruwa, and refers to a kuruwa that is placed specifically to guard an important entrance. See below for more related terms.
Related terms
Most of the terms take the form -kuruwa or -maru, but specific terms may differ depending on region or time period. Castles that use the naming -maru were built during the early modern periodEarly modern period
In history, the early modern period of modern history follows the late Middle Ages. Although the chronological limits of the period are open to debate, the timeframe spans the period after the late portion of the Middle Ages through the beginning of the Age of Revolutions...
. Many castles contain kuruwa named after particular people or places.
Honmaru
- The honmaru is the core region of the castle, and serves as the living quarters for the castle ruler, and is the final line of defense of the castle. It may also be referred to by many other names including ichi no kuruwa or honkuruwa. The kuruwa can house an expensive central structure from which the castle ruler oversees the on-goings within the castle, or those affairs can be conducted from the outer walls so that the honmaru can be used as a compact, core structure that serves as the final line of defense during a siege.
Tenshumaru
- The tenshumaru is a smaller kuruwa often located within the honmaru which houses the tenshuTenshuthumbnail|250px|right|Matsue TenshuTenshu, , also called Tenshukaku, 天守閣, the central tower or main keep at Japanese castle. It is the most important part of Japanese castle. It began from Sengoku period. Azuchi Castle, built in 1576 by Oda Nobunaga, was Japan's first castle to have a Tenshu....
; the central fixture of all post-Sengoku periodSengoku periodThe or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
Japanese castles. Very few tenshu remain intact, and Kōchi CastleKochi Castleis a castle located in Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan.-History:Following the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Kōchi Castle was constructed in what was then the province of Tosa. It was built by Yamanouchi Kazutoyo, who took control of the province after the Tokugawa victory. The castle was constructed...
is the only castle that still contains its original tenshu. Tenshu entrances remain at Kawagoe CastleKawagoe castle' is a flatland Japanese castle in the city of Kawagoe, in Japan's Saitama Prefecture. It is the closest castle to Tokyo to be accessible to visitors, as Edo castle is now the Imperial palace, and largely inaccessible....
and Matsumae CastleMatsumae Castleis a castle located in Matsumae in Hokkaidō, Japan. It was the home of the Matsumae Han. It is perhaps the only traditional style Edo period castle in Hokkaidō.-History:...
.
Ninomaru & sannomaru
- Also known as ninokuruwa or sannokuruwa, these regions serve as outside layers to the honmaru, and may vary in shape and size. Expansive ones can also house large living spaces similar to the structures within the honmaru itself.
Nishinomaru
- Nishinomaru (lit. "western circle") is used as the castle ruler's retreat. The term was coined after Tokugawa IeyasuTokugawa Ieyasuwas the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
, who lived in the eastern section of Edo CastleEdo Castle, also known as , is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan. It is located in Chiyoda in Tokyo, then known as Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate here. It was the residence of the shogun and location of the shogunate, and also...
after retiring from his post as ruler. Nishinomaru are also present in Himeji CastleHimeji CastleWhen the han feudal system was abolished in 1871, Himeji Castle was put up for auction. The castle was purchased by a Himeji resident for 23 Japanese yen...
and Okayama CastleOkayama Castleis a Japanese castle in the city of Okayama in Okayama Prefecture in Japan. The main tower was completed in 1597, destroyed in 1945 and replicated in concrete in 1966...
.
Obikuruwa & koshikuruwa
- These terms refer to a narrow space created by walls to surround another kuruwa. They allowed defenders to better prevent the breach of an important castle sector, and were double-layered in the largest castles.
Sōkuruwa
- This term refers to a kuruwa created by surrounding the castle townCastle townA castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns are common in Medieval Europe. Good example include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles...
with a large moat, earthwork fortification, or stone wall. It is the largest and outermost kuruwa of any castle.
Demaru
- The demaru is a separate kuruwa placed to strengthen a vulnerable spot or structure within the castle. The buke shohattoBuke shohattoThe was a collection of edicts issued by Japan's Tokugawa shogunate governing the responsibilities and activities of daimyō and the rest of the samurai warrior aristocracy. These formed the basis of the bakuhan taisei which lay at the foundation of the Tokugawa regime...
limited (essentially prohibited) the construction of castle walls, leading to the development of large "daimyo gardens" in place of the demaru.
Umadashi
- The umadashi is a small kuruwa placed in front of the castle's entrance. In addition to simply making it difficult for the enemy to enter the castle grounds, it provides space for the defenders to repel the enemy with projectiles. It can also serve as a barracks for small parties of soldiers. This kuruwa can consist of any sort of wall from a shoddy earthwork fortification to large, strong walls as seen in Nagoya CastleNagoya Castleis a Japanese castle located in Nagoya, central Japan. During the Edo period, Nagoya Castle was the center of one of the most important castle towns in Japan—Nagoya-juku— and it included the most important stops along the Minoji, which linked the Tōkaidō with the Nakasendō.-History:In...
, Sasayama CastleSasayama Castleis a Japanese castle in Sasayama, Hyōgo, Japan.-History:Construction of this castle was begun by the order of Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1608 and it was completed in six months. Ikeda Terumasa was in charge of the construction and the plan of the castle was done by Tōdō Takatora. It is said that twenty...
, and Hiroshima CastleHiroshima Castle', sometimes called ' is a castle in Hiroshima, Japan which was the home of the daimyō of the Hiroshima han . Originally constructed in the 1590s, the castle was destroyed in the atomic bombing in 1945...
.
Mizunote kuruwa
- This refers to any kuruwa containing the castle's water supply.