Japanese castles and their keeps

In short

What a keep is

A keep (tenshu) is the tall tower of a Japanese castle. Keeps were wooden buildings made for war.

Keep building began with Azuchi Castle, which Oda Nobunaga began to build in 1576. From Azuchi Castle to Edo Castle, keeps developed quickly in a short time.

The five National Treasures

Among castle buildings that are Important Cultural Properties, only five castles have been named National Treasures: Matsumoto, Inuyama, Hikone, Himeji and Matsue.

Matsue City, together with Matsumoto City and Inuyama City, is working to have the keeps of these five National Treasure castles registered as a World Cultural Heritage site, “Castle Keeps of the Early Modern Period.” Matsue City explains that the five keeps show a castle culture unique to Japan: keeps that developed quickly as wooden buildings for war, from Azuchi Castle to Edo Castle.

Matsumoto Castle

At Matsumoto Castle, Ishikawa Yasunaga built three keep buildings, including the main keep. The castle grounds are about 600 m from east to west and from north to south.

Its five keep buildings were named National Treasures in 1936 under the old law, became Important Cultural Properties in 1950, and were named National Treasures again in 1952.

Himeji Castle

The large keep of Himeji Castle was built in 1608. It has five roofs outside and six floors inside, plus one floor underground. It was named a National Treasure in 1951.

Think about it

• Q1Why would people build a tall tower at the center of a castle?
• Q2Keeps were made of wood. What dangers would a wooden building face over 400 years?
• Q3Are there castles or forts in your country? How are they different?

There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.