Fortifications

Rokugan has many different kinds of fortifications, and the capabilities of each vary widely.

Kyuden
A Kyuden is "any castle that is worthy of hosting an Imperial family." Essentially, they are elaborate castles that are built for comfort and diplomacy, as well as practicality of living. Kyuden are defensible, but are not designed with martial matters at the foremost of the mind. Typical features of a Kyuden are banquet halls, gardens (internal and external), a "Matsu-no-Ma" (Pine Chamber) which serves as a courtroom (or in some cases, a throne room), and a central keep. As a military post, Kyuden are protected by fortified walls and a moat of sorts, and most have a system of hidden passages and tunnels that can be used in evacuation.

Kyuden are built to showcase examples of a clan's architecture, and are usually very large and opulent. Special features, such as pagodas, vaulted ceilings, and nightengale floors are utilized for design and practical purposes. Art is showcased throughout the palace.

The function of a Kyuden in battle is not to repel or hold territory, but rather to delay or befuddle enemies so that inhabitants can get away. The immediate command influence of a typical Kyuden is about 1,400 feet.

Most clans only have a handful of true Kyuden at any time, although more diplomatic and peaceful clans will boast many more. Some clans, such as the Crab, have no true Kyuden, but will call their Daimyo's residence a "Kyuden" in a demonstration of wry humor. Kyuden typically lay closer to the heartland of a clan's provinces, away from the borders.

Shiro
A Shiro is a true fortress. It is, literally, a "defensible castle." Evolved from wooden stockades of early Rokugan, true Shiro are built from reinforced wood and stone, designed for military purposes and placed strategically to hamper enemies and house troops.

Shiro are not built for comfort or style like Kyuden. They are made with a military mindset. The look of the Shiro is a product of it's practical defendability, not art. Organized layouts allow defenders to maximize their defense. They are built high and surrounded by moats, barricades, and other defenses. Sama (arrow-slits) are utilized to fire arrows through the walls, and looming boxed towers allow commanders to see for miles. The effective command area of the Shiro is almost twice that of it's Kyuden counterpart.

The placement of Shiro reflect their purpose. They always lay along rivers, roads, and other strategic locations. Unlike european-style castles, an army cannot easily bypass or ignore a Shiro. They are more than just castles... they are obstacles, which is exactly what they are intended to be.

Unlike european-style castles, the walls of the shiro do not extend around the nearby villages or town (these are called "jōkamachi" and are usually a mark of a Kyuden). Also unlike european-style castles, Shrio have no walkways built into the defensive walls. Instead, the timbers of the walls remain exposed; in times of war, soldiers will lay planks over these timbers to serve as platforms for archers and other defenders.

Shiro are always built on a hill, and if no hill is available then the archetects will create one of stone to serve as a foundation. These stone hills are called "musha-gaeshi" literally meaning "repelling warriors." They are nearly impossible to scale, thus forcing enemies into direct penetration methods, and right into the hands of defenders.

The primary method of defense lay in the arrangement of the maru (the baileys), which are separated by vast courtyards. Some Shiro are arranged in concentric circles, each maru lying within the last, while others lay their maru in a row; most used some combination of these two layouts. The topography of the location determined the layout of the maru.

The "most central bailey", containing the keep, is called the honmaru (本丸), and the second and third are the ni-no-maru and san-no-maru, respectively. These areas contain the main tower and residence of the daimyo, the storerooms, the barracks, and the living quarters of the garrison. A complex system of a great many gates and courtyards leading up to the central keep serves as one of the key defensive elements. This is, particularly in the case of larger or more important castles, very carefully arranged to impede an invading army and to allow fallen outer portions of the compound to be regained with relative ease by the garrisons of the inner portion.

Since sieges rarely involve the wholesale destruction of walls (thanks to limits on current technology), Shiro designers and defenders could anticipate the ways in which an invading army would move through the compound, from one gate to another. The layout forbid methods of bypassing courtyards. As an invading army passes through the outer rings of the compound, it would find itself passing under windows from which rocks, hot sand, or other things could be dropped, and also in a position which made them easy shots for archers in the towers. Gates are placed at tight corners, forcing a bottleneck effect upon the invading force, or even simply at right angles within a square courtyard. Passageways often lead to blind alleys, and the layout would often prevent visitors (or invaders) from being able to see ahead to where different passages might lead. These measures make it impossible to enter a Shiro and travel straight to the keep. Invading armies, as well as anyone else entering the castle, would be forced to travel around and around the complex, more or less in a spiral, gradually approaching the center, all while the defenders prepared for battle, and rained down arrows and worse upon the attackers.

This layout, while practical for battle, makes Shiro a poor location to host diplomatic embassies, however. If you need to get from one place to the other side of the Shiro quickly, for instance, then you're out of luck. And naturally, opulent gardens and other comforts have little function in battle.

Shinden
Shinden are fortified temples. Being larger than a normal temple and made of stone, they are built to be defensible in case of emergency.

Shinden are not built to withstand the force of armies or forceful invasion. After all, very few samurai would dare to launch an army-sacle attack (or any attack, really) on a place that is holy, lest they come subect to retribution from the Son of Heaven or the fortunes. However, Shinden are well-suited to defend against bands of attackers, such as bandits or bakemono. These temples become places for besieged villagers to retreat to in cases of raids and other attacks, and sometimes even disasters like floods or fires.

A notible exception is Shinden Asahina, which has, on more than one occasion, been made as a defensive fortification against invasions.

Other Fortifications or Subtypes
Yamajiro (Mountain Castle) - Shiro with additional fortifications that is built into the side of a mountain.

Gusuku (Armored Fortress) - Distinctively styled fortresses with additional armored defenses (typically built with stone and steel reinforcements, as opposed to wood.)