Castles in Japan

fortresses constructed primarily of wood and stone

The were centres of the domains of the feudal lords in medieval Japan. The jōkamachi represented the new, concentrated military power of the daimyo in which the formerly decentralized defence resources were concentrated around a single, central citadel. These cities did not necessarily form around castles after the Edo period; some are known as ''jin'yamachi, cities that have evolved around jin'ya or government offices that are not intended to provide military services. Defined broadly, jokamachi includes jin'yamachi. It is also referred to as jōka'', as was common before the early modern peri

thumbnail|300px|12 original tenshu of various castles

Japanese word for tower etc.

is a Japanese term for the walls of a Japanese castle, and the regions bounded by the arrangement of those walls. The term may also be written as 郭, and the term is also used for castles built after the Edo period. The kuruwa serves as a defensive territory, provides space for additional castle facilities, and contains the living quarters for common soldiers, making it an important fixture of all Japanese castles. Most castles built during the Middle Ages contain many kuruwa of small area, while those built during or after the early modern period often contain a lesser number of kuruwa of larg