Compare And Contrast Japanese And European Castles

Castles were used in feudal Japan and medieval Europe as homes for the noble classes and as defensive fortresses. They were both very effective at protecting the inhabitants and stop attacking forces however, there are a few important differences. Japanese castles were not just used for defensive reasons they are also artistic and beautiful through the architecture and surrounding environment while European castles focussed more on defensive capabilities and functionality.

In feudal Japan there was a huge focus on culture and art and this can be seen through their castles. Europe took a much different approach. Europe focused more on functionality yet they were still incredible feats of architecture and aesthetic in their own right. In …show more content…
Japanese castles had a similar set up to a campus and so if they were on flat ground they would be easily penetrated but cleverly the Japanese built moats full of water and built these castles usually on top of mountainous regions or on land surrounded by water. This made it very hard to get inside the castles or to attack it as you couldn’t get very close to them. Where the Japanese castles fall short is the fact that these castles are made out of wood which rots due to water and can be burnt fairly easily therefore you wouldn’t have to be too close to the castles to destroy them. (Stone keep) European castles were made out of stone which is much more durable than wood and isn’t flammable which meant that European castles were very hard to destroy because they wouldn’t be affected by the weather or fire. These castles were also built on mountains which meant that if you were to attack the castle you would be doing so going up a hill while the people inside the castle would be firing arrows at you. The counter weight trebuchet was very effective against flat walled castles and so star shaped castles were built which meant that the trebuchet would be less effective and wouldn’t do that much