Most Japanese castles were surrounded by moats filled with water, traversed by bridges in front of the gates.

However, since the castle was also a symbol of the lord’s power and status, although the bridges were the first to be destroyed, they were built with great attention to detail, some of them being painted and decorated with quite expensive ornaments. A good example is this bridge of Matsumoto castle, featuring traditional giboshi ornaments…

Red Bridge, View from Matsumoto Castle, Matsumoto

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Japanese gardens, Stepping stone bridge