Shiro Kandai
Shiro Kandai was the castle complex at Jukami Mura. It was built by the Crane Clan to bring law to the town's disorderly port. [1] Kandai Castle rested high on the slopes over the bay, on the sharp northern promontory above the Port that Never Sleeps. Designed to evoke the eagerness of youth, it once stood proud and handsome; yet, its towers had begun to show their age. The red-orange lacquer on Castle Kandai's timbers hardened and fireproofed the wood, and the color helped mariners to see the outer towers from afar; many of the towers served double duty as lighthouses. [2]
Appearance[]
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Kandai Castle
Tall and thin, Shiro Kandai perched on curved ishigaki, and topped with an ornate hipped roof of gray-blue tile. It was finished in 1098, resting high on the slopes over Jukami Bay, on the sharp northern promontory above Jukami Mura. Designed to evoke the eagerness of youth, it once stood proud and handsome, but its towers began to show their age; the lacquer was decaying in the sun, and sparrows had nested in the gables. The towers afforded Crane naval strategists a panoramic view of the bay and the sea, to spot ships approaching, hours in advance. The red-orange lacquer on Shiro Kandai's timbers hardened and fireproofed the wood, and the color helped mariners to see the outer towers from afar; many of the towers served double duty as lighthouses. The tenshukaku was built with a six-story frame, and the complex spaces between floors add up to eight or nine separate levels, knitted together with intricate networks of staircases. Many corridors featured nightingale floors, which chirped and creaked as they were stepped on. The paper windows were coated with oil, which protected against rain and allowed a wealth of sunlight indoors. The castle grounds featured an impressive garden in an interior courtyard, with carefully tended flowers, bushes, and trees imported from across Crane lands. They sprawled out below the tenshukaku, with a few modest gardens, shrines, storehouses, and stables protected by the outer wall. [3]
References
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