The builders of the Japanese castles paid special attention to the walls and over time, several construction methods have been developed. The most frequently used such method can be seen at the Osaka Castle: uchikomihagi.

But the oldest technique, called nozurazumi, can be seen at the oldest surviving Japanese castle tower, the Maruoka Castle, in Fukui. The rocks aren’t shaped, giving the wall a very rough aspect. However, this kind of coarse look has its beauty and it adds the benefit of a very good drainage.

Maruoka Castle, Fukui

EXIF Info:

Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Osaka Bay, spectacular bird’s-eye view