Trenches

Trenches / 空堀

This is a subtype of Features

Trenches, earthworks, empty moats, or dry moats cover a wide range of trench like fortifications around castles. In flatland castles they are often similar in structure to water moats but without the water. Both water moats or dry trenches have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. it can be harder for intruders to hide in a dry moat and no natural water sounds to disguise entry. The slick clay sides of many castles in the Kanto region were especially slippery and difficult to climb.

When you see a lot of photos on this site or visit these locations yourself you may think these trenches wouldn't be much of a deterrent but keep in mind that they have probably filled with leaves and dirt and been eroded significantly over the last 400 years. What is now a meter or less deep may have been two or three times that deep at one time.

Some terms related to trenches that you may see include:

Horikiri (堀切): this is a deep trench cut across a mountain ridge to impede attackers from easily climbing the ridge. You see a lot of these on the path to mountaintop castles and it's usually the first sign that you've entered a castle. Unless a signs there to point them out or you are used to seeing them you might not notice them but if you think about it, such a sudden steep dip in the ridge is unnatural.

Yokobori (横堀): a horizontal trench across a slope or mountain. It can also provide an easier route for defenders to cross a slope.

Tatebori (竪堀): a vertical trench running up and down a slope. It can be used to impede attackers from easily crossing a slope and can force them into a kill zone.

Unejotatebori (畝状竪堀): several tatebori across one slope on a mountaintop castle. They may be difficult to see if the are running down the steep side of a castle you may not be able to get to them.

Shojibori (障子堀): a wider trench with square depressions carved out. It forces attackers to either walk the narrow ridges and be easily fired upon or scale up and down the walls putting them in vulnerable positions and using energy.

Unebori (畝堀): a trench with ridges across them. This is similar in design to the shojibori but instead of a "waffle" like design it is only a single row of dugout depressions.

Dry Moats
<a href="/photos/view/347-Nagoya-Castle"><img src="http://media.jcastle.info/images/nagoya/nagoya11-h.jpg" /></a> Nagoya Castle	<a href="/photos/view/"><img src="http://media.jcastle.info/images/nagoya/nagoya16-h.jpg" /></a>Nagoya Castle	<a href="/photos/view/106-Sakura-Castle"><img src="http://media.jcastle.info/images/sakura/sakura2-h.jpg" /></a>Sakura Castle	<a href="/photos/view/789-Mito-Castle"><img src="http://media.jcastle.info/images/mito/mito1-h.jpg" /></a>Mito Castle

Castles with Trenches

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