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tenshu 天守 | ||||||
KEY WORD : architecture / castles | ||||||
Also
called tenshukaku 天守閣, tenshuyagura 天守櫓. Also written 天主,
殿主 and 殿守. The principal tower-like structure at the center of a castle
complex *honmaru 本丸,
located in what is termed the honmaru (main circle or
inner compound). Corresponds to the keep or donjon of a western European
castle. The castle gradually evolved from a strictly military function as
a watchtower *bourougata
tenshu 望楼型天守 placed atop a residence to that of primarily a symbol
of power and authority. The height of the tower may consist of three, five
of more stories *soutougata
tenshu 層塔型天守. Often there was a strategic variance between the number
of stories observable on the exterior, juu 重 or sou 層, and
the actual number of floors inside the structure, kai 階. Also, the
tenshu may be a single independent tower *dokuritsu
tenshu 独立天守, or *daitenshu
大天守, a principal tower or large tenshu. It may be joined with one
or more subsidiary towers or smaller tenshu *kotenshu
小天守, and other structures such as a *watariyagura
渡櫓, connecting gallery, to form a compound tower complex *fukugou
tenshu 複合天守, a linked tower complex *renketsu
tenshu 連結天守 and a tower grouping *renritsu
tenshu 連立天守. Many variations of these four basic tenshu types
were also constructed. For example, fukugou renketsu tenshu 複合連結天守
compound linked tower complex, represents a combination of the compound
and link tower types. The tenshu was typically built on its own independent
raised foundation *tenshudai
天守台, the interior of which might hide one or more basement floors that could
not be observed from the outside. The multi-floored tenshu was a
timbered post-and-beam construction, with tiled roofs, as other towers *yagura
櫓. One distinctive structural feature was the use of one or two great pillars
*tenshu shinbashira
天守心柱, running from the ground floor to the topmost floor. The origin of term tenshu is not clear, but the earliest reliable source is GENKI NINENKI 元亀二年記 (Record of the Second year of Genki, 1571), is found in a discussion of Oda Nobunaga's 織田信長 Castle (begun 1569). |
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fukugou
renketsu tenshu 複合連結天守:
Matsumotojou Tenshu 松本城天守 (Nagano) |
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(C)2001 Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System. No reproduction or republication without written permission. 掲載のテキスト・写真・イラストなど、全てのコンテンツの無断複製・転載を禁じます。 |
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