Masugata (TCG)

Masugata was Rokugani term for the enclosed square after a first gate, which had the second, primary gate on its left or right wall. These two gates worked together in stages, like locks on a canal, forcing anyone entering or exiting to spend time locked in the masugata. The masugata served as a well-protected staging area for any departing expedition, and its angled gates forced an invading army to rapidly change direction. Many castles employed several such gatehouses.