Dependency on Castles
Both peasants and daimyo depend on each other equally. Peasants depend on the castle for defense, and the daimyo depend on the peasants for food and other resources. Although the dependency was mutual, the daimyo’s needs always came first. The castle walls were inspected once a month. The garrison housed troops of guards and samurai. The garrison could be shifted or stay a skeletal element. Often times the garrison’s lives were very boring, but had a clear purpose of preparation. |
Men of Garrison
The troops housed in the Garrison had a very structured and scheduled lifestyle. They were required to gather at their designated wall before the morning drum. The drum beat would indicate dawn, and the men would lift the gates to let the town into the castle area. The men at the walls were guards. Each guard was on duty for 6 hour shifts with 2 hour breaks in the middle. The towers were guarded day and night to protect from fires and potential attacks. On their off days, guards would store their equipment in duty stations near their designated wall. |
Repairing the Walls
The walls were repaired every five years. During this time, rope joints and frayed knots had to be fixed. When the work was done, it had to be reported to an appointed official. During the time of repair, villagers worked from dawn to dusk to get the walls fixed as fast as possible. |