The Japanese castles are classified according to the landform on which they were built. On the mountainside, there are two types, castles built on the top of the mountain, called in Japanese
yamajiro ("mountaintop castle") and castles built on large hills or on low mountains, known as
hirayamajiro, "flatland-mountain castles".
The Matsuyama castle, photographed here, is a
hirayamajiro. These castles were somehow more vulnerable because they were not protected by relief, so they were surrounded by strong turrets and concentric walls.
Matsuyama Castle, Matsuyama, Ehime EXIF info:
Nikon D700
Lens: VR 28-300mm F/3.5-5.6G
Focal Length: 62mm
Aperture: F/7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/500s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 320