Stone Walls of Himeji Castle

Stone walls of Himeji Castle have gentle curve which is called " Fan-shaped Curve". The stone wall is curved like an open fan and this gentle curve makes it possible to build the stone wall high. It also makes scaling the wall difficult. The stone walls of this castle are almost completely built in the style called "Nozurazumi" in which natural and rough stones are used. But around the corner of the stone walls, cut and measured stones are laid alternately lengthways on the wall faces. This style is called "Sangizumi".
The style "Nozurazumi" is composed of natural stones combined and set, but each stone has a depth of more than two and a half times the size we see on the surface. In the further back of the stones pebbles are packed with the thickness from two to five meters. Therefore, the wall is very stable even if heavy buildings are placed on top. In the crevices, cut stones and pebbles are wedged and this prevents climbers from footing easily.
Stone walls are an art in castle construction, and the curve of this fan is pleasant, setting off the whole castle more beautifully.

Photos of the stone walls