The Second Floor of Main Tower
It has an area of about 550 square meters and there are inside rooms which is called "Uchimuro"
(Hidden Room) in the back of the gables. There are such rooms up to the fifth floor.
The Third Floor of Main Tower
It has an area of 440 square meters.
The West Main Pillar
The West Main Pillar runs from the basement up to the ceiling of the fifth floor.
During the Showa Restoration (1956-1964) a 26.4 meter Japanese cypress was brought down from
Mt. Kiso(part of Japan Alps) to replace the old pillar. But the tree was broken.
Then another tree was brought down from Mt. Kasagata in Kanzaki-gun(area near Himeji).
Both trees were jointed on the third floor.
There is a note around the joint which says "Rice I sho is 120 yen. Crown Prince has married. (1 sho is 1.8 liters)
Stone-Throwing Platforms(Ishiuchidana)
The platforms which are situated at the north and south windows are called Stone-Throwing Platforms (Ishiuchidana).
They are shelves where soldiers should throw things at the enemy and observe them.
There are such platforms on the fourth floor, too.
Photo of Stone-Throwing Platform
Warrior Hiding Place(Mushagakushi)
This is called Warrior Hiding Place (Mushagakushi)designed to provide defenders with an advantage over enemies.
Warriors could hide themselves here and kill at least one enemy by surprise.
We can see the spirit of a warrior who made the best use of a small chance.
Mushagakushi is small space in the gables. We can see the wisdom of the builders who made such rooms.
They designed them for maximum utility in a minimum of space.
The Fourth Floor of Main Tower
It has an area of 240 square meters.
The Fifth Floor of Main Tower
It is darker on this floor than other floors because it has few windows.
The fifth floor is situated in the ceiling of the fourth floor.
From the outside Main Tower looks like a five-story building,
but in fact it has six floors and a basement in the stone wall.
The builders invented this unusual design to confuse enemies.
