Himeji Castle moat

Originally, the Himeji castle had three moats, but the outermost of them was razed, and now we can see only the innermost moat (which is still intact) and parts of the central moat.

Together with the walls, which were built with firing holes, these moats were an effective defensive system. However, they also had another use: the inner moat creates a pond which was designed to be a source of water for fire prevention.