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).
 

fukugou renketsu tenshu 複合連結天守:
Matsumotojou Tenshu 松本城天守 (Nagano)

 
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