To improve their defense, most Japanese castles were using walls, built as tall and thick as possible, and reinforced with other features such as moats filled with water and yagura turrets.

A yagura was offering protection for defenders, but at the same time was increasing the wall’s resistance. Another technique to improve the walls, called in Japanese yokoya gakari, was to build them in zigzag, as in this photo taken at the Osaka castle.

Rokuban-yagura, Osaka Castle, Osaka

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Momijigari, hunting the red leaves