Udo Turret, Kumamoto Castle (Kumamotojo Udoyagura)

The Udo Turret of Kumamoto Castle is one of the original Edo-period towers that survived the castle's partial destruction in 1877, its massive stone base and plastered white walls representative of Kumamoto's formidable defensive architecture. This 1948 print likely shows the turret from below, the stone ishigaki (stone-work) rising above the castle moat, the white plaster walls catching the light above. Kumamoto Castle was among the finest castle complexes in western Japan, and the surviving turrets preserved its architectural character.