Kanazawa Castle. Look behind the mighty gate and see the historic Japanese estate.

katiefreespirit (64)in TravelFeed • 4 years ago (edited)

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If I could give Japan a different nickname than "Cherry Blossom Country", it would be a name associated with castles, of which there are plenty. They are impressive and kept in good condition. I saw them in every city I visited. The Japanese take care of their heritage with a characteristic attention to detail. It doesn't matter if it's a bonsai tree or a huge building. Both are well looked after.

The Kanazawa castle is entered through huge gates, covered with a characteristic "tubular" roof.

Japanese castles usually have dark roofs, this one is white. Do you know why this is so? Well, the tile is covered with lead. At first it was black, but as a result of carbon dioxide its color changed to white. The light deepens the effect and the tile looks bright white. It is not known why lead was used in the roof construction. Perhaps it was an aesthetic effect, or because of the weight - the roof covered with lead is lighter.

In Kanazawa, the first Ichi-no Mon gate, 4.7 meters wide and 7.4 meters high, was built of Japanese cephalopod wood and covered with strong elements (looking like steel, but probably another material was used). It reminded me of an armored wardrobe. In the past, it provided excellent protection against visits by potential enemies.

The castle was visited by many Japanese students dressed in school uniforms and distinctive yellow hats.

I liked the wooden boards with the description of the monuments. Fortunately, in addition to Japanese subtitles, there were also English.

Ah, those beautiful Japanese conifers!

The history of Kanazawa Castle begins in 1546. At that time, the Kanazawa Mido monastery was built here, and in 1580 construction of the castle began here. It happened thanks to one of the most famous rulers of Japan, Oda Nabunaga. Then the castle was handed over to one of the trusted generals of Oda Nabunaga - General Maeda Toshi, and members of his family lived there for 14 terms. In 1888 the castle was destroyed in a fire. Those parts of the castle that were fit for use were used in the following years for military purposes. In 1995, the remains of the castle were used by the campus of the Kanazawa University. And thanks to the fact that in 2001 a part of the castle was rebuilt, with care to restore the original appearance, it was made available to visitors.

558/5000 The outer walls of the castle form square tiles connected by plaster. They are called Namo Kabe, which means sea cucumber walls. When you enter this name in Google, you will see animals covered with many spots. They look like large cucumbers. There were hidden kernels in the wall, i.e.

performances at the top of the defensive walls with a clearance to facilitate shooting.
Source: sjp

During the battle, people could shoot through it.