Hikone castle

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Inner moat.

The small main keep sits on top of a hill, and appears to have been a purely military affair. As such, the civil administration and living quarters for most of the people around would have been in various buildings inside the outer wall and moat, but not in the keep or even up on the hill. The building here being, IIRC, a somewhat smaller copy of such an administrative compound. Today it was in itself a bit of an exhibit, as a alrge part of it was built "old style", while other bits of it housed the museum and a noh theatre.

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Document case, 19th century.

17th century.

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Gusoku armour, 19th century, owned by Ii Naosuke.

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Jingasa helmet, 18th century.

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Commander's baton

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Wakizashi, signed Nagasone Kotetsu, 17th century.

Katana, signed Yashumitsu, 14th century (shortened at some point).

Tachi, signed Rai Kunimitsu, 13th century.

Gusoku armour, Edo period, 19th century.

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I don't suppose you hit up Matsumoto castle? That's one beautiful and terrifying to attack place.

Banner, 18th century.

Quiver, 18th century.

No, just grabbed this as a day trip from Kamakura.

Bow, 18th century.

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You should give it a look. It has an amazing museum dedicated to Japanese firearms.

Saddle and stirrups, 18th century.

We'll see when I get to Japan next then.

Saddle, 1639

This is Veeky Forums, not /jp/.

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Daisho pair, 18th century.

I'll run off and run for a while, so to be continued.

Thanks KM

I'm actually in Japan right now and visited Matsumodo castle and it is indeed terrifying to attack.
>Black so you can't see it at night
>An extra floor built into the foundation so you misjudge how many niggas are in there
>Stairs that at some points have forty(40) cm of space between stairs at a 75 degree incline
I would dump my pictures but the upload and download speeds at this hotel are utter dogshit.

Daisho fittings, 18th century.

The stairs in the keep where some pretty serious business in this one too. Overall though maybe not quite as imposing, being very much on the smaller side of things.

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Noh mask, Sankojo. 18th century.

Shishiguchi, 1725.

Hashihime, 18th century.

Masukami, 18th

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These really are gorgeous when you see them like this. I finally get it.

Chukei fan, 20th century.

Noh costume garments.

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Try to get the chance to have a good look at a properly polished blade up somewhat close in person. Much can and has been said this way and that about how they're forged, but the result can be a steel that's breathtaking.

Moving on to the bits where the house itself was the exhibit.

Oh, and koto ware tea cups, 19th century.

Should do decently for sake as well.

We'll have to try and see with umeshu. Thoroughly.

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Tea ceremony room.

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A hichiriki ("short cylindrical-bore oboe") named Isora, and the pretty substantial succession of packaging that appears to be associated with it. 16th century.

Biwa named Tokotowa, 1751.

So named Karakogaku, 1450.

Kakko drum, 19th century.

Calligraphy reading "Smooth Progress", by shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, dated 1696.

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Looking down on the palace/museum complex.

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One of the kinder stairs.

Each floor was basically the same, a corridor along the wall and a small room in the middle. Wasn't really place for anything else. Though IIRC at the top floor they put a dividing wall in the middle instead.

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Here's a map of Nijo Castle.

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I got a few photos of that place on my previous trip to Japan, if anyone wants them: mediafire.com/?mf3h0os5dn5g3pc

And some Japanese street signs in the Captcha, how appropriate.

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Slopes seldom photograph well, but you might be able to tell from the near edge-on view of the railing at the bottom that this one would be a bit of a challenge to run up.

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I've got no idea what this has to do with Veeky Forums, but I'm loving the pictures and they're giving me ideas for my upcoming Not!Japanese campaign.

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And that is what it has to do with Veeky Forums.

It's sad that you even had to wonder about it.

>and they're giving me ideas for my upcoming Not!Japanese campaign.

That's largely what I had in mind. We do have a number of old arms and armour threads and whatnot here, so a old castle seemed like it'd fit in quite well too.

And there's always the minus sign to click for those who disagree.

It has nothing to do with Veeky Forums.

Hide/sage/report

The daimyo's residence.