Maiko Battery Site, Coastal artillery battery in Tarumi-ku, Japan
Maiko Battery Site is a former coastal fortification in Tarumi-ku featuring substantial granite stone walls that run along the shoreline with considerable vertical presence. The installation was strategically designed with a bastion formation containing multiple artillery positions.
The fortification was built in 1863 by order of the Tokugawa shogunate in response to foreign warships appearing in Japanese waters. It formed part of a coordinated defense network together with another battery across the strait.
The site reflects how Japan was beginning to protect itself against external threats, blending traditional defense methods with new military thinking during this pivotal moment.
The site sits within a park and is walkable from the nearest railway station, making access straightforward. Wear sturdy shoes since the granite structures are uneven and the coastal terrain can be variable underfoot.
The half-star bastion design created overlapping fields of fire that were coordinated with artillery on another island to control a strategic waterway. This system showed how quickly Japan could adapt advanced European fortification techniques.
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