CastleTowns6


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Castle Towns ** A castle town is a town around a castle. The need for castles arouse after the central government's authority had weakened in the 15th century and Japan had fallen into the chaotic era of warring states (sengoku jidai). During the era, Japan consisted of small independent states which were fighting each other and, for defense purposes, were building small castles on top of mountains. When Oda Nobunaga reestablished a central authority over Japan about a century later, and his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi completed the reunification of Japan, many larger castles were built across the country. Unlike the earlier castles, they were built in the plains or on small hills in the plains, where they served as a region's administrative and military headquarters, and became the centers of "castle towns". Many castles were destroyed as unwelcome relics of the feudal past, and even more were lost in World War II. Only about a dozen original castles survive today but, several dozen castles were reconstructed over the past decades.

The outline of the castle town is very different then the way we build our towns. The typical, large castle consisted of three rings of defense. The first ring or main circle was called honmaru in the center of the circle. It was followed by the ninomaru, the second ring, and the sannomaru, the third ring. The castle tower stood in the honmaru, while the lords usually lived at a more comfortable residence in the ninomaru. The castle was put in the center of the town so the town could be watched when in war or in other situations.

Markets were a big part of Japan and still are, people earned money and still do. Farmers sold their crops in the town to earn money. Town industries sold textile weaving and sake brewing as the castle town grew. Craftspeople, also known as artisans, sold their art and other creations there. And cloth makers sold their fine silks and other clothes. The town’s population grew and more people sold their crops and other foods there.

People made so many things in Japan, especially for the rich. Artisans made brilliant paintings and drawings for everyone to enjoy. Sword makers made strong swords for samurais. Armor smiths made very strong armor for the samurai. Craftsmen built the houses and building in the castle towns. Common crafts in Tokugawa Japan included carpentry, stonemasonry, sake-brewing, and lacquering. The social classes in a castle town do not make much sense. He merchants make up about 3% of the castle town and are the lowest social class but, they are very wealthy. They are the lowest class because it is believed that they do not produce anything like farmers or craftsmen. Artisans produced goods for need of castle samurai. Their main job was a sword smith, armor smith, carpenter, sawyers, or roofer. Samurai were the warrior class. Out of 30 million Japanese, 2 million were samurai. There are many things a samurai can do. For example, they could be officials in the Shogun's government or as policemen. The farmer’s job was to grow the crops to be sold and eaten by other people. Several other groups of people existed outside this class system, including actors and entertainers, priests, and the eta. In some respects, this outsider status allowed members of these groups a relative degree of freedom, since it was the class system that organized Japanese society in rigid patterns. However, living outside the system also brought its disadvantages because the system also afforded protection of life and livelihood. Castle towns are still used today and it is a main way of living in Japan. Castle towns are very interesting to visit and have great history behind them. The way craftsmen have to build the castle towns is very interesting too.  Citations:
 * Pyle, Kenneth B. The Making of Modern Japan. Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath, 1996.
 * ThinkQuest. "Merchants and Craftsmen." //The Castles of Japan. ThinkQuest Team, 2000. 2/16/10 //
 * Charles J. Dunn, //Everyday Life in Traditional Japan , Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1969. //
 * Castlesjapanguide.com 2/19/2010