Okayama castle original yagura, Tsukimi Yagura

The Okayama Castle was severely damaged during the bombings from 1945 and the castle we see today was completely rebuilt in 1966. But not many visitors know that inside the castle's premises there is a building that survived in its original form from 1630. This is the Tsukimi Yagura ("Moon viewing turret"), visible in my photo right in front of the main tower.

The Okayama Tsukimi Yagura is a two floors corner tower - sumi yagura - and its role in the castle's defense was to facilitate the observation of the nearby Asahi River. However, as its name says, the Tsukimi Yagura had also a more romantic role: it was the place to admire the moon, especially during Tsukimi, the autumn moon-viewing festival.

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