It is well known that there are only 12 Japanese castles that survived in their original form, but throughout the country there are many other original castle structures, such as gates or turrets.

A very special case is the castle turret (yagura in Japanese) photographed here. It is a former turret of the Tsuruga-jo, the castle of Aizu-Wakamatsu, and it was moved from its original location inside a temple in Aizu.

Called Osangai, the turret was an important asset of the castle, featuring a secret room built inside a hidden floor, this being the room where the lord Matsudaira Katamori held secret meetings.

Osangai, Aizu-Wakamatsu

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Oyama Shrine gate