Tag Archives: Castles

Field Report: The Ruins of Suncheon Japanese Castle, South Korea (26 January 2020) – Part 3

Here’s the closing entry in my set of Field Reports about the ruins of a 16th-century Japanese castle in Suncheon, South Korea. The preceding posts (Part 1 and Part 2) are concerned mainly with my visit to the site itself, whilst the present article supplies background information. I’ve also set out some practical advice onContinue reading “Field Report: The Ruins of Suncheon Japanese Castle, South Korea (26 January 2020) – Part 3”

Field Report: The Ruins of Suncheon Japanese Castle, South Korea (26 January 2020) – Part 2

Let’s continue our visit to the ruins of Suncheon Castle (순천왜성), a 16th-century fortress built by the invasion army of Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi on the coast of Jeollanam-do, South Korea.

Field Report: The Ruins of Suncheon Japanese Castle, South Korea (26 January 2020) – Part 1

Until recently, my interest in Japanese castles was geographically confined to Japan itself. (Hardly a surprise, since that’s where nearly all of them are.) That changed this past winter when I visited the ruins of a 16th-century fortress designed by the Japanese, built using Japanese techniques, and bearing all the hallmarks of a typical JapaneseContinue reading “Field Report: The Ruins of Suncheon Japanese Castle, South Korea (26 January 2020) – Part 1”

Field Report:  A walk through the grounds of Nagoya Castle, Japan (28 November 2018)

In my previous post, I wrote in detail about the newly reconstructed Honmaru Palace of Nagoya Castle. Needless to say, that episode was just a slice out of a visit to the castle compound, which has a lot more to see besides the palace at its centre. Let’s see how the rest of that dayContinue reading “Field Report:  A walk through the grounds of Nagoya Castle, Japan (28 November 2018)”

Field Report:  The Honmaru Palace of Nagoya Castle, Japan (28 November 2018)

I’ve long had a keen interest in the ambitious project to resurrect the lost Honmaru Palace of Nagoya Castle: quite possibly one of the most magnificent examples of 17th-century Japanese architecture to have survived from the Edo Period. (Well, up until it was reduced to cinders by Allied bombing in 1945.) Over the course ofContinue reading “Field Report:  The Honmaru Palace of Nagoya Castle, Japan (28 November 2018)”

Field Report: A Morning Trip to Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan (23 September 2018)

I’ve been to Kitakyūshū before, but that initial foray was so brief that I had no choice but to come back. And I’m glad I returned, because I found myself rewarded with glimpses at both life during the Edo Period and contemporary expressions of Japanese culture – all in the space of a single morning.

Field Report: Sunpu Castle, Shizuoka, Japan (01 October 2017)

Think about the sort of house you’d like to live in after retirement. Will it be a beach-side bungalow, or perhaps a small cottage out in the country? Whatever form your post-employment residential dream might take, it’s not likely to be on quite the same scale as the sprawling fortress that Tokugawa Ieyasu moved intoContinue reading “Field Report: Sunpu Castle, Shizuoka, Japan (01 October 2017)”

Field Report: Nakijin Castle, Okinawa, Japan (07 May 2018)

The islands of Okinawa Prefecture are sprinkled with the remains of gusuku: massive stone-walled castles that are in some ways similar to, and yet in many other ways different from, the classic Edo Period castles of the Japanese mainland. Whilst none are as well preserved (or at least as well rebuilt) as Shuri Castle inContinue reading “Field Report: Nakijin Castle, Okinawa, Japan (07 May 2018)”

Field Report: Shuri Castle, Naha, Japan – Part Two (06 and 09 May 2018)

Our exploration of Naha’s iconic Shuri Castle continues from my previous post – though we’ll be spending more time outdoors on this occasion. Let’s have a look at some of the outlying structures that played an important role in the spiritual, ceremonial, and official affairs of those who once resided within these walls.

Field Report: Shuri Castle, Naha, Japan – Part One (06 May 2018)

Before Okinawa was Okinawa, it was the Kingdom of Ryūkyū: an independent nation with its own system of government and unique way of life. That realm was once ruled from within the stately confines of Shuri Castle, one of the most iconic landmarks in the prefectural capital of Naha – a royal residence whose architectureContinue reading “Field Report: Shuri Castle, Naha, Japan – Part One (06 May 2018)”