Uzumimon Gate

Uzumimon Gate at Himeji Castle was added in the 1620s, about two decades after lord Ikeda Terumasa expanded the fortress. Where there had been an unbroken stone wall, a gap was cut and a walled entry courtyard with an outer gate was constructed around it. Uzumimon, meaning embedded gate, describes this style of small opening cut into castle walls. Unlike gates at other parts of the castle, Uzumimon's inner gateway had no watchtower directly overhead. Instead, a large two-story watchtower to the west covered both the gate and the adjacent Saikoku Kaido trade road, giving defenders sight lines along the wall in both directions.