Canossa Castle and Azuchi Castle: A comparative study of the castle-building phenomenon in Italy and Japan

Sammanfattning: This thesis aims at evaluating the castle-building phenomenon in Italy and Japan through a comparative study of Canossa Castle in Italy and Azuchi Castle in Japan. By comparing Canossa Castle and Azuchi Castle, this thesis firstly investigates the definition of the word castle in Italian, Japanese and English to understand how languages influence the understanding of this phenomenon. By using previous studies on the general concept of castles and on the history of Italy and Japan, the study then examines the historical and cultural contexts in which both castles were built and how they influenced their design and purpose. As last, an analysis of both castles in terms of archaeological data given by excavations is used to describe both castles and compare them on an architectural level to identify buildings that even though do not seem the same, share a common purpose in both countries. Then, by exploring the historical context, cultural significance of these castles, and archaeological data the study focuses on the similarities that can be found in castle construction practices between Italy and Japan and tries to answer if the phenomenon of castles is only a European feature or can be broadened to other countries, specifically, Japan. Keywords: Canossa Castle, Azuchi Castle, castle-building phenomenon, Italy, Japan, castles, comparative study, archaeological data, architectural features, historical context, cultural significance.