Japanese castles were much weaker, but were constructed like a maze to confuse attackers into taking alternate paths away from the nobles inside while the defenders cold continue to rain down arrows, bullets, and cut them down with samurai.
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As a result, over 3,000 castles were reduced to 170, about 95% of the Japanese castles were ruined. About 260 years later, in 1873, the Meiji government promulgated the law of demolishing the castles to proceed with the westernization in Japan.
Today there are more than 100 castles remaining, or partially extant, but most are modern reconstructions. Because of bombings in World War II, fires, edicts to tear down castles, etc., only 12 of Japan's castles are considered to be originals.
Osaka Castle was constructed in 1585 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He used it as his base to unify Japan after many years of war. The huge castle took two years to build, with a crew of 20,000 to 30,000 working daily. The stone walls for the main, secondary and tertiary enclosures measure about 12 km in length.
Construction giant Obayashi Corporation estimated that it would cost 78 billion Yen (766 million USD) to replicate Osaka Castle, the grounds and moat using current construction methods. If you want to live like a prince on a pauper's budget, Kumamoto City will let you be a castle lord for a day.
The entrance to the castle was always its weakest point. Drawbridges could be pulled up, preventing access across moats. Tall gate towers meant that defenders could shoot down in safety at attacks below. The main gate or door to the castle was usually a thick, iron-studded wooden door, that was hard to break through.
The weakest part of the castle's defenses was the entrance. To secure access to the castle, drawbridges, ditches and moats provided physical barriers to entry.
Several rings of walls and moats serve as the main defense measure of castles. Osaka Castle and the former Edo Castle (now Tokyo's Imperial Palace) offer the most impressive examples.
Germany. The country with the most castles is Germany! It's thought that Germany has around 25,000 castles within its borders. Why does Germany have so many castles?
Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world and has been the family home of British kings and queens for almost 1,000 years. It is an official residence of Her Majesty The Queen and is still very much a working royal palace today, home to around 150 people.
By making the earthwork walls around the kuruwa curved rather than straight, it became possible to attack the advancing enemy from the sides as well as the front. Side attacks were also common on soldiers entering through the koguchi or castle entrance.