Castle Building Techniques

Stone Walls

石垣イメージ

The main foundation of castle construction is stone walls. For this reconstruction project, we removed all the remaining original stone walls, conducted an excavational examination, and then rebuilt new stonewalls. Most of the stones we used in the stone walls or as foundation stones came from Mt. Tomuro, which is 8 kilometers to the east of Kanazawa Castle. There are two kinds of stones on this mountain--Red Tomuro and Blue Tomuro. Blue Tomuro is more dense and heavier than Red Tomuro.

切り込み接イメージ Kirikomi-hagi
Stones are shaped and fitted together so neatly that there is not even enough room for one finger in the gaps between.. This kind of mosaic looking stonewall has sophisticated beauty.
打ち込み接イメージ Uchikomi-hagi
Stones are broken up, roughened a little on the surface, and then fitted together. This kind of wall drains well. It is used next to the moats at Kanazawa Castle.
野積みイメージ Nozumi
Natural stones are fitted together as they are. These walls look unsophisticated, but drain efficiently and are very durable too.