Hikone Castle
Title
Hikone Castle
Publisher
Lawrence Technological University
Date Created
August 17, 2015
Creator2
O’Connor, Thomas (photograph)
Work Type
Single Built Works
Date
April, 1972
Work Location
Japan (nation)
Hikone (inhabited place)
Style/Period
Japanese architecture styles
Subject
castles (fortifications)
tower houses (defensive structures)
Description
Exterior view of the main tower (Tenshu) at Hikone Castle in Japan. "The construction of Hikone Castle and its castle town began in 1604, over 400 years ago, and took about twenty years to complete. The center of the castle complex and castle town was the main tower, or tenshu (also referred to as a donjon), which is situated in the main compound (or honmaru). A tenshu is the main keep and the most defining feature of a Japanese castle. Although previous castles usually had a defensible structure for residence and/or administration, the architecturally distinct tenshu was first constructed during the late Warring States (Sengoku) period. The daimyo of the Hikone domain, in fact, rarely visited the Tenshu, which served mainly as storage for the suits of armors worn by the successive lords of the Ii family. As previously mentioned, rather than a military fortification, the Tenshu of Hikone Castle, looking out over the castle town, was primarily a symbolic projection of the authority of the Hikone domain,"--HikoneCity website.
Material/Medium
wood (plant material)
stone (worked rock)
Reproduction Type
jpeg
Copyright Statement
©2013 Lawrence Technological University. These images may be used for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes without the explicit permission of LTU.
ID Number
LTU-TOJ-592
- Date Added
- August 17, 2015
- Collection
- LTU Digital Images
- Item Type
- VRA Core
- Tags
- castles, towers
- Citation
- “Hikone Castle,” LTU Digital Images, accessed May 4, 2024, https://ltuimagecollection.omeka.net/items/show/15007.