The advent of the castles as we know them today, during the Sengoku Period, lead to the development of jōkamachi, the “town below the castle". Inhabited mostly by samurai, but also by craftsmen and merchants, the castle town was divided in areas according to the social status, the highest class being located closest to the castle.

A good place to experience the feeling of a jōkamachi is in Inuyama, where the main street, leading to the castle, was preserved as it was during the Edo Period…

Inuyama

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Night walk through thousands of gates