Stone walls

From Jcastle.info

Stone Walls / 石垣

This is a subtype of Features

Ishigaki are one of the most impressive features of any castle. The skill it took to make them from cutting and collecting the stones to actually building the walls in a myriad of shapes, terrains, and locations, is truly remarkable. The fact that there are still so many stone walls remaining after hundreds of years attests to the skill of their builders too. You can even read the history of a castle from its ishigaki. The type of stone tells you where it came from, markings on the stones tell you who it was cut or gathered for, and the method of building the walls can also tell you in what period they were constructed or by whom. Even in the same castle, you may see walls constructed with different methods indicating who built them and when. You can also find unique stories buried in the stone walls at many castles like the old woman who donated her grinding stone or Buddhist statues that were procured from temples to fill in the walls.

Below is a description of the main styles and types of stone walls. There are also a few sub-categories and rare types not discussed here that I may put together for a future page.


Basic Structure

The pictures below are from a display at Kanazawa Castle that show how the stone walls are constructed. You can see that the stones are much longer and larger than they appear from the outside. Smaller stones are filled in between the larger stones to stabilize them. Extra stones are backfilled behind them for drainage to help prevent erosion and smaller stones are also filled into the spaces in the front to stabilize the larger stones. Note that there is no mortar used. This allows the stone walls to have some flexibility which is what has helped them to survive for hundreds of years in earthquake prone Japan.

Kanazawa217.jpg Kanazawa216.jpg Kanazawa215.jpg


Style

The style of wall indicates the pattern of how the stones are arranged. These two patterns below are used with all of the different types explained in the next section.


Ranzumi (乱積み)

The stones used are of various sizes so that there is no particular pattern to the face of the stone wall.

Kofu16.jpg Takamatsu23.jpg Takeda15.jpg


Nunozumi (布積み)

Most of the stones are roughly the same size so that they line up across the face of the wall.

Kanazawa117.jpg Matsuyama18.jpg Marugame76.jpg


Types

Stone walls can be categorized by how much the stones are processed to fit together in the wall. Walls that use unprocessed stones tend to be older, while walls that make use of more highly shaped stones are newer making use of newer techniques and tools.


Nozurazumi (野面積み)

These walls use unshaped stones. They are either stones that were used in their natural shape or were split without any further shaping. This type of wall is comparatively weak and high walls cannot be built. It also provides many footholds and handholds making it relatively easy for attackers to climb.

Kofu16.jpg Komoro15.jpg Maruoka6.jpg Marugame60.jpg


Uchikomihagi (打込接ぎ)

The stones are pounded tightly into place and the corners and rough edges are smoothed some to help them fit together better. The face of the stone is also chipped away to make it more flat. The remaining holes are filled with smaller stones to tightly fill the gaps. This makes a stronger wall than Nozurazumi and these walls can be built higher.

Edo44.jpg Osaka33.jpg Ueda15.jpg Kanazawa87b.jpg


Kirikomihagi (切込接ぎ)

In this type of wall, all the stones are heavily processed and shaped to fit exactly with the surrounding stones. There are almost no holes or empty spaces and no smaller uncut stones filling the spaces between stones. Since water cannot seep out through the spaces they often needed to build in some holes for drainage.

Edo38.jpg Kanazawa150.jpg Edo81.jpg Shirakawa11.jpg


Kikkozumi

This is basically a special type of Kirikomihagi where all the stones are cut with five or six sides and fitted together.


Tanizumi / Otoshizumi

The stones are fit together at an angle so they have a diagonal pattern instead of horizontal. It takes advantage of the weight of the stones to hold them in place. This construction was actually comparatively easy and often used in the later Edo Period.


Tamaishizumi (玉石積み)

This method uses river stones that were naturally shaped by the river to be round. The only castle I know of that makes use of this is Yokosuka Castle in Shizuoka Pref.

Yokosuka7.jpg

Castles with Stone Walls
  1. Aizu Wakamatsu Castle
  2. Akashi Castle
  3. Aki Castle
  4. Akiyoshi Fort
  5. Akizuki Castle
  6. Akizuki Domain South Detached Palace
  7. Ako Castle
  8. Akutagawasan Castle
  9. Amagajo
  10. Amagasaki Castle
  11. Anrakuji Yakata
  12. Aoyagi Castle
  13. Aoyagi Yakata
  14. Aoyama Castle (Nagato)
  15. Arato Castle
  16. Arikoyama Castle
  17. Asahiyama Castle
  18. Asama Palace
  19. Ashimori Jin'ya
  20. Awaya Yakata
  21. Aya Castle
  22. Azuchi Castle
  23. Azumi Iwahara Castle
  24. Bitchu Matsuyama Castle
  25. Chiba Castle
  26. Chikuma Asaka Castle
  27. Chikuma Kakiage Castle
  28. Chikuma Koshikou Castle
  29. Chikuma Koya Castle
  30. Chimura Yashiki
  31. Chinen Castle
  32. Chiran Castle
  33. Echizen Katsuyama Castle
  34. Echizen Ohno Castle
  35. Edo Castle
  36. Enryakuji Higashitani Fort
  37. Fukuchiyama Castle
  38. Fukui Castle
  39. Fukuoka Castle
  40. Fukuyama Castle
  41. Funai Castle
  42. Furukawa Castle
  43. Fushimi Castle
  44. Futamata Castle
  45. Ganjaku Castle
  46. Ganshouin Yakata
  47. Gassan Toda Castle
  48. Gifu Castle
  49. Goryokaku Fort
  50. Gujo Hachiman Castle
  51. Gushikawa Castle (Itoman Okinawa)
  52. Hachigata Castle
  53. Hachioji Castle
  54. Haga Castle
  55. Hagi Castle
  56. Hagiwarasuwa Castle
  57. Haibara Castle
  58. Hamada Castle
  59. Hamamatsu Castle
  60. Hanakuma Castle
  61. Hanamaki Castle
  62. Hanazono Castle
  63. Hanishina Takeyama Castle
  64. Hayashikojo Castle
  65. Hayashiohjo Castle
  66. Hikida Castle
  67. Hikobe Yashiki
  68. Hikone Castle
  69. Himeji Castle
  70. Hirado Castle
  71. Hirai Kanayama Castle
  72. Hirase Noroshidai
  73. Hirosaki Castle
  74. Hiroshima Castle
  75. Hishakuyama Castle
  76. Hitoyoshi Castle
  77. Hizen Nagoya Castle
  78. Honshouji Castle
  79. Hoshigasaki Castle
  80. Houshouji Fort
  81. Hyakusaiji Castle
  82. Iba Castle
  83. Iba Palace
  84. Ibuka Castle
  85. Ichijodani Castle
  86. Ichinomiya Castle
  87. Ide Yakata
  88. Iga Ueno Castle
  89. Iida Castle
  90. Iiyama Castle
  91. Imabari Castle
  92. Ina Nagayama Castle
  93. Ina Wada Castle
  94. Inawashiro Castle
  95. Innoshima Suigun Castle
  96. Inuyama Castle
  97. Ioyama Castle
  98. Ishibayama Castle (Omi)
  99. Ishigakiyama Ichiya Castle
  100. Itami Castle
  101. Itoi Jin'ya
  102. Itokazu Castle
  103. Iwaki Taira Castle
  104. Iwakuni Castle
  105. Iwamura Castle
  106. Iyo Matsuyama Castle
  107. Izuki Jin'ya
  108. Izushi Castle
  109. Joujou Castle
  110. Joukouin Yakata
  111. Junhanshi Yashiki
  112. Jurakudai
  113. Kagikakemonomi Fort
  114. Kagoshima Castle
  115. Kakegawa Castle
  116. Kakimi Castle (Omi)
  117. Kakinohana Castle
  118. Kamagatake Castle
  119. Kamaha Castle
  120. Kameda Castle
  121. Kamei Castle
  122. Kameyama Battery
  123. Kameyama Castle
  124. Kaminoyama Castle
  125. Kamioka Castle
  126. Kanaiyama Castle
  127. Kanayama Castle
  128. Kanazawa Castle
  129. Kanbe Castle
  130. Kaneyama Castle (Mino)
  131. Kaneyama Castle(Mutsu)
  132. Kannonji Castle
  133. Kano Castle
  134. Kanzou Yashiki
  135. Karasawayama Castle
  136. Karasuyama Castle
  137. Karatsu Castle
  138. Karidako Castle
  139. Karidaoh Castle
  140. Kasama Castle
  141. Kashima Castle (Hizen)
  142. Kashiwabara Castle (Omi)
  143. Kasumi Castle
  144. Katsumoto Castle
  145. Katsunumashi Yakata
  146. Katsuren Castle
  147. Katsuyama Castle (Nagato)
  148. Katsuyama Castle (Tsuru)
  149. Katsuyama Palace
  150. Kawahara Castle
  151. Kawanoe Castle
  152. Kawashima Castle
  153. Kikkawa Motoharu Yakata
  154. Kinojo
  155. Kirihara Castle
  156. Kishiwada Castle
  157. Kiso Daikansho
  158. Kitanosho Castle
  159. Kitsuki Castle
  160. Kiyosu Castle
  161. Kochi Castle
  162. Kofu Castle
  163. Kojima Castle (Hida)
  164. Kokokuji Castle
  165. Kokura Castle
  166. Komaki Castle
  167. Komatsu Castle
  168. Komesu Castle
  169. Komono Castle
  170. Komoro Castle
  171. Koori Nishiyama Castle
  172. Koraku Castle
  173. Koriyama Castle (Hiroshima)
  174. Koromo Castle
  175. Kounomine Castle
  176. Koyama Castle
  177. Kozutsumi Castle
  178. Kuboe Castle (Omi)
  179. Kubota Castle
  180. Kukuri Castle
  181. Kuma Castle
  182. Kumamoto Castle
  183. Kuniyoshi Castle
  184. Kunou Castle
  185. Kurahone Castle
  186. Kuroi Castle
  187. Kurume Castle
  188. Kushima Castle
  189. Kushizaki Castle
  190. Kutsuki Izuminokami Jin'ya
  191. Kuwana Castle
  192. Maebashi Castle
  193. Marugame Castle
  194. Maruoka Castle
  195. Masujima Castle
  196. Matsuda Yakata
  197. Matsudaira Yakata
  198. Matsue Castle
  199. Matsukura Castle
  200. Matsumae Castle
  201. Matsumoto Castle
  202. Matsuo Castle
  203. Matsusaka Castle
  204. Matsushiro Castle
  205. Mie Castle
  206. Mihara Castle
  207. Miharu Castle
  208. Mikumo Castle (Koka)
  209. Minakuchi Castle
  210. Minakuchi Okayama Castle
  211. Minowa Castle
  212. Mizuban Castle
  213. Moji Castle
  214. Morioka Castle
  215. Moriyama Castle
  216. Motosu Castle
  217. Motoyama Yakata
  218. Mukade Castle
  219. Mukaihaguroyama Castle
  220. Murakami Castle
  221. Murakami Hanagoya Castle
  222. Murakami Katsurao Castle
  223. Murakami Kemurino Castle
  224. Murakami Mochikoshi Castle
  225. Murakami Wagou Castle
  226. Naegi Castle
  227. Nagahama Castle
  228. Nagoya Castle
  229. Najima Castle
  230. Nakagusuku Castle
  231. Nakamura Castle
  232. Nakanojin Castle
  233. Nakatsu Castle
  234. Nakijin Castle
  235. Nanao Castle
  236. Natsukawa Castle
  237. Natsumichi Fort
  238. Nechi Castle
  239. Nihonmatsu Castle
  240. Niitakayama Castle
  241. Nijo Castle
  242. Nijo Castle (Tochigi)
  243. Nijoko Castle
  244. Nishio Castle
  245. Niwase Castle
  246. Nobeoka Castle
  247. Nochiseyama Castle
  248. Numata Castle
  249. Obama Castle
  250. Obama Castle (Mutsu)
  251. Obaraichiba Castle
  252. Obata Jin'ya
  253. Obi Castle
  254. Oda Castle
  255. Odani Castle
  256. Odawara Castle
  257. Ogaki Castle
  258. Oguchi Castle
  259. Ogura Castle
  260. Ogurayama Castle
  261. Ogyu Castle
  262. Oh'iwa Castle
  263. Ohga Castle
  264. Ohmine Castle
  265. Ohno Fort
  266. Ohtsu Castle
  267. Ojima Jin'ya
  268. Oka Castle
  269. Okayama Castle
  270. Okazaki Castle
  271. Oko Castle
  272. Okushima Yakata
  273. Omi Hachiman Castle
  274. Omifuru Castle
  275. Omono Castle
  276. Ono Castle
  277. Oogo Castle
  278. Oomizo Castle
  279. Ori Castle
  280. Osada Castle (Omi)
  281. Osaka Castle
  282. Oshi Castle
  283. Otaki Castle
  284. Ozu Castle
  285. Rikan Castle
  286. Rokugawa Jin'ya
  287. Saga Castle
  288. Sagaki Jin'ya
  289. Saiki Castle
  290. Sakaki Jin'ya
  291. Sakamoto Castle
  292. Sakura Castle (Aichi)
  293. Sakurabora Castle
  294. Sakurasawa Fort
  295. Samegai Castle
  296. Sanada Isezaki Castle
  297. Sanada Negoya Castle
  298. Sanada Palace
  299. Sanada Yazawa Castle
  300. Sanadahonjo Castle
  301. Sannohe Castle
  302. Sano Castle
  303. Sarashina Osaka Castle
  304. Sasayama Castle
  305. Sashiki Castle
  306. Sasou Castle
  307. Seiryuin
  308. Sekiyado Castle
  309. Sendai Castle
  310. Sengoku Yakata
  311. Shibata Castle
  312. Shiga Castle
  313. Shiga Yakata
  314. Shigetsu Fushimi Castle
  315. Shigiyama Castle
  316. Shimabara Castle
  317. Shimashi Ozato Castle
  318. Shimizu Jin'ya
  319. Shimotsui Castle
  320. Shinagawa Battery Islands
  321. Shingen Yashiki
  322. Shingu Castle
  323. Shioda Castle
  324. Shioda Koubouyama Fort
  325. Shiozaki Castle
  326. Shirakawa Castle
  327. Shiroishi Castle
  328. Shishiku Castle
  329. Shoryuji Castle
  330. Shou Castle
  331. Shuri Castle
  332. Shuuchi Castle
  333. Shuzan Castle
  334. Sonobe Castle
  335. Souma Nakamura Castle
  336. Sukegawakaibou Castle
  337. Sumoto Castle
  338. Sunomata Castle
  339. Sunpu Castle
  340. Suzaka Jin'ya
  341. Suzaki Battery
  342. Taguchi Castle
  343. Tahara Castle
  344. Takada Castle (Niigata)
  345. Takaino Jin'ya
  346. Takamatsu Castle
  347. Takanashi Yakata
  348. Takano Castle (Omi)
  349. Takano Yakata
  350. Takaoka Castle
  351. Takasaki Castle
  352. Takashima Castle
  353. Takatori Castle
  354. Takatsuki Castle
  355. Takayama Castle (Hida)
  356. Takayama Castle (Hiroshima)
  357. Takayama Jin'ya
  358. Takeda Castle
  359. Takedashishugo Yakata
  360. Takenaka Jinya
  361. Takinoiri Castle
  362. Tamagusuku Castle
  363. Tamaru Castle
  364. Tanabe Castle
  365. Tanabe Castle (Wakayama)
  366. Tanba Kameyama Castle
  367. Tarui Castle
  368. Tateyama Castle (Yamagata)
  369. Tatsuno Castle
  370. Tatsuoka Castle
  371. Tawada Castle
  372. Tayasu Jin'ya
  373. Tedori Castle
  374. Tenjin'yama Castle (Musashi)
  375. Tenpaku Castle
  376. Toba Castle
  377. Tobayama Castle
  378. Toishi Castle
  379. Tokushima Castle
  380. Tomioka Castle
  381. Tottori Castle
  382. Toyama Castle
  383. Toyoda Castle
  384. Tsu Castle
  385. Tsuchiura Castle
  386. Tsuda Castle (Omi)
  387. Tsukikuma Castle
  388. Tsukui Castle
  389. Tsumagi Castle
  390. Tsutsuhata Castle II
  391. Tsutsuhata Castle III
  392. Tsutsuhata Castle IV
  393. Tsutsuhata Castle V
  394. Tsutsujigasaki Palace
  395. Tsuwano Castle
  396. Tsuyama Castle
  397. Uda Matsuyama Castle
  398. Ueda Castle
  399. Ueno Yashiki
  400. Urado Castle
  401. Urasoe Castle
  402. Usayama Castle
  403. Usuki Castle
  404. Uwajima Castle
  405. Wakayama Castle
  406. Washio Castle
  407. Yagi Castle
  408. Yagi Castle (Tanba)
  409. Yamabe Castle
  410. Yamabukioh Castle
  411. Yamagata Castle
  412. Yamaguchi Castle
  413. Yamaguchi Yashiki
  414. Yamamoto Jin'ya
  415. Yamato Koriyama Castle
  416. Yamazaki Castle
  417. Yanagawa Castle
  418. Yashima Castle
  419. Yashiro Castle
  420. Yatsushiro Castle
  421. Yatsushiro Yashiki
  422. Yodo Castle
  423. Yogaisan Castle
  424. Yokosuka Castle
  425. Yonago Castle
  426. Yoshida Castle
  427. Yumurayama Castle
  428. Zakimi Castle
  429. Zeze Castle
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