Tatsumi-Yagura Guard Tower

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Tatsumi-Yagura: One of the Three Surviving Watchtowers of Edo Castle
皇居に残る江戸城巽櫓

The Tatsumi-Yagura, the only surviving sumiyagura (corner watchtower) of the former Edo Castle, stands as a testament to Japan’s feudal-era fortifications. These watchtowers, built at key points along the castle walls, played a crucial role in surveillance and defense.

This particular two-story tower is formally known as the Sakurada Tatsumi Double Yagura, though it’s more commonly referred to as the Tatsumi-Yagura (with tatsumi meaning southeast and yagura meaning guard tower or watchtower). It is one of the largest two-tiered watchtowers in Japan.

Two distinctive architectural features of the Tatsumi-Yagura are its stone drop (ishi-otoshi, 石落) and its gable-end motifs.

The stone drop is a section of the tower that projects slightly outward over the stone wall above the moat. This design allowed defenders to drop stones or pour boiling water on attackers attempting to scale the walls, while still maintaining a narrow opening that prevented enemies from using it to climb up.

Another notable feature, though not clearly visible in my photo, is the gable end on the right side of the roof, which bears a decorative seikaiha (青海波) motif—a repeating pattern of water waves that has adorned temples, halls, and gates since the pro-to-modern period (17th to mid-19th century). 

Beyond its historical significance, what captivates me most about this scene is the way the crisp blue sky and mirror-like moat frame the tower, while intricate details of the roof eaves, gable ends, and fish-shaped ornaments (shachihoko, 鯱鉾) on the roof-ridge add to its elegance.

• Location: Imperial Palace, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo
• Timestamp: 11:25・2025/01/02
• Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
• ISO 320 for 1/500 sec. at ƒ/8.0
• Provia/Standard film simulation

References:

1. Google Maps: Tatsumi Turret (Sakurada Double Turret)・巽櫓（桜田二重櫓）
2. Imperial Household Agency: Illustrated Maps of Imperial Palace (English)
3. The National Gardens Association: Tatsumi-Yagura (Japanese)
4. JANNUS: seigaiha water motif (English)
5. JANNUS: ishi-otoshi stone drop (English)
6. JANNUS: shachihoko fish ornament (English)

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