Japanese Castles

[Sean Clark]

Amongst the many items on my 'wants' list, is a Japanese castle or tower of some sort.

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

Any of you seen this site? looks useful
http://jcastle.info/view/Special:BrowseData/Castles

[Colonel Kilgore]

Wow - there's a lot of content there, Neil!

Simon

[Sean Clark]

Crikey! Thats a fantastic resource.

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

Something for everyone I think!

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

Wondering now, looking back, whether I can develop this further. My problem is my forces are built around the idea of DBA/DBM based armies (Takeda, Uesugi, Tokugawa and Hojo). I could never reconcile the feudal army composition (much like WotR) with the military formations believed to have been adopted and the individualistic heraldry of the commanders.
Fortifications were also just set dressing, hence the concept died out as the castle got bigger!... Are fortifications catered for in Battles in the Age of War?

[Panzer21]

Neil,
Have you considered a card kit?

Matsue here in 1:100:

http://www.marcle.co.uk

UK company have dealt with them, very good service and have a eBay shop.
There are all sorts of models or puzzles in card wood or even some expensive plastic models.
Neil

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

Thanks for the shout, Neil. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the model-making process, and am quite happy to sink time into it. However, I realised belatedly that investing all that time in a Sengoku period castle was wasted if I never got a chance to use it on the battlefield, unlike my Mexican presidio which is of a reduced scale to participate... I have to say I am liking Martin's Japanese houses - altogether far fiddlier to model i.m.h.o... I can see a few of those joining the roster. I need to find the Japanese battlefield equivalent of an ECW star fort or fortified manor house, something that looks believable but on a smaller footprint.

[Colonel Kilgore]

I've never played BAW, but do seem to recall seeing pictures of Stewart's (?) fortifications on the edge of a games table. So I was assuming they have a role to play in the game!

Simon

[martin goddard]

Indeed
The castle siege is a big part of the BAW ruls.
I have a whole castle wall from Kerr and King.  It is very good indeed.


They seem to have gone to ground though?


martin

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

So if I were to recreate a Japanese fortification, would a full table width modular rampart be the order of the day, or are there other configurations the rules could cater for?...

[martin goddard]

Hello Neil

In BAW the castle is always an L shape, enclosing a rectangular part  of the table.
The measurements are 3feet by 1 foot.
In BAW there is a lot more detail, but this gives an idea.

martin

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

Thanks Martin,
That is really useful to know. I like a design challenge!

[martin goddard]

Ralph scratch built some great castle walls and towers. They are pictured in the rules.
I will see if i can find those photos.


martin

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

That would be most interesting, Martin. Many thanks

My castle structures are based on a Japanese book about the Takeda during the Sengoku Jidai period which has some fascinating reconstruction drawings of their mansions, watchtowers and other installations within the Takeda domain with some photos of the surviving castle mounds and stone platforms. The text is all in Japanese alas. I have some guidebooks a friend visiting Japan gave me as well as the usual plethora of detail contained in Stephen Turnbull's works. The other main source is an incredible book on Japanese castle architecture by a chap who has been involved in restoration projects on castles like Himeji. I picked it up at the Japan bookshop in Central London decades ago. One incredible photo is a vertical panoramic shot showing a single tree (cedar?) which served as the central spine of the tenshu. All the stone platforms are contour hugging and designed to withstand earthquakes - hence the batter. They are not regular and the carpenters making the superstructures have to invent ingenious joints and ways of surmounting the odd angles and curves... I'll have to dig it out and send you the reference.

Neil