Built as a fortress, the Japanese castle was designed to be defended by a relatively small number of warriors. Thus, small openings (called sama) were built in the walls, allowing defenders to shoot safely.

Originally built for archers, the sama were later designed with a different shape, for guns. Those made for archers (ya-zama, from ya, “arrow") were rectangular, while those made for guns (teppō-zama, from teppō, “gun") were circular or triangular.

Fukuyama Castle, Fushimi Yagura, Fukuyama, Hiroshima

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: A bit of history, Edo period checkpoint