Revolutionizing Castles: Nobunaga’s Vision in Warriors Building Castles

“While enduring fierce battles in Korea, various innovations emerged, which significantly influenced their skills. Japanese warlords constructed many castles known as ‘Wajo’ in southern Korea. When they returned to Japan, they brought back the techniques they acquired and materials like Korean tiles to apply to their new castles.

However, it doesn’t seem that they directly adopted the castle-building techniques of Korea or Ming China. The distinctive tiled roofs show Korean influence, but the unique structures of the Wajo suggest that the Japanese warlords, gathered in one place, likely influenced each other.”

What was impressive about the castle-building masters?

So, what qualities made these military commanders, known as castle-building masters, so exceptional?

“They possessed knowledge and had a group of skilled engineers at their disposal. For instance, Takatora had senior vassals who specialized in castle construction. Having such experts among his subordinates was significant.

Kiyomasa Kato’s Kumamoto Castle features turrets named after his vassals, such as the ‘Iida-maru Five-Story Turret.’ He had his retainers construct them. However, there are records indicating that Kiyomasa provided very detailed instructions regarding the stone walls, so he was evidently well-informed himself, and the builders were also quite skilled.”

However, there are very few records regarding where they actually learned their castle-building techniques. It is believed that they likely learned by observing Hideyoshi during his construction projects or by being instructed to participate in those efforts, gradually developing their own skills and innovations. By the way, none of the buildings constructed by Hideyoshi still exist today (Osaka Castle was rebuilt by the Tokugawa after the fall of the Toyotomi clan), and only a few stone walls remain at Nagoya Castle in Hizen.