Kyuchomon Gate

Named for Kyucho-machi, a neighborhood of artisans and merchants that lay across the moat in the outer castle town. The neighborhood, in turn, is said to have been founded by a man named Kyucho. It lay along a highway to the north called the Tajima Kaido. Both the inner and outer gateways of Kyuchomon Gate faced eastward, and an earth-and-stone bridge (now restored to its original appearance) spanned the middle moat. The two double-doored gateways were separated by an inner courtyard with a small guardhouse. The larger inner gate had a storehouse above it.