Castles and Mazes

How do you protect a castle? Armies, weapons, and strategy of course. Part of that strategy involves the town’s layout. While driving around Iwatsuki, a castle town, it became apparent that only a handful of roads were straight. The remaining roads curved, looped around, split into dead ends, and kept to a cardinal direction seemingly by accident. Despite sounding like poor design, the roads actually served as a defense strategy against invading armies. The maze slowed down and frustrated the opposing army (and future foreigners).
Iwatsuki castle no longer stands in Iwatsuki, because the castles represented the samurai. The Meiji government (1868-1912) desired to Westernize Japan and to update the country. Most of the samurai rebelled and fought against the changes, though ultimately losing. Since the castles held the rebellious groups, the Meiji government destroyed virtually all of the fortresses.

​Later, the government realized the historical and aesthetical value of the castles, so they restored the most famous ones. These castles became popular tourist attractions and created fun ways of learning Japanese history. Many of the castles also include signs with English translations, so that foreigners can enjoy the museums.
Inside those museums, the signs rarely emphasize one important detail. When the Meiji government took over, toppling the samurai and castles, they included freedom of religion within the constitution.  The persecution of Christians ended with the Meiji government, allowing the name of Christ to spread once again.