An unsual way to prevent fires

Most of the castles in Japan use large quantities of wood. It can seem strange to Europeans used to their big stone-walled fortresses. This meant that in times of war the castles were vulnerable to fire. If you check back in the archives for our visit to Kakegawa castle (Click the January archive link somewhere on the left of this screen) you should be able to make out curling shapes on the roof. See below for a closeup of this unique defense system.