Building a Masugata and Yaguramon at the Main Gate

Greetings.
I am a man in a suit who has fallen into the world of Minecraft.

Last time, I rebuilt the small turret at the northwest corner of the castle town as a three-story Inui Yagura.

The Inui Yagura now looks suitably imposing, but the passage beyond the main gate still ends in a wall.
This time, I add an outer gate and a *masugata* courtyard, then build switchback stairs and an upper gatehouse passage that connects the town to the castle wall and the Inui Yagura.

Rebuilding the Dead-End Castle Entrance

The main gate area before construction, with the castle keep rising behind it

Here is the main gate area before construction begins.
The keep is visible beyond the gate, but there is no route from the passage to the top of the castle wall.

The dead end immediately beyond the existing main gate

Once I pass through, this is where the route stops.
It feels a little disappointing to have the new Inui Yagura nearby without a way to reach it on foot from the town.

Building the upper gatehouse room with white walls and dark oak posts

I begin by constructing an upper gatehouse room above the existing main gate, combining white walls with dark oak posts.
Its roof stays lower than the Inui Yagura and the keep, giving the entrance a broad profile without competing with the taller buildings.

Climbing Switchback Stairs into the Gatehouse

Switchback stairs and a lantern seen from the former dead end at night

The former dead end receives switchback stairs, which gain height within the narrow space.
A lantern lights the steps at night, and a route finally begins to rise where the passage once stopped.

Looking down over the steps and white walls from the top of the switchback stairs

From above, the steps curl neatly back on themselves.
My armor and tools are getting rather worn as I stack the stonework, roof blocks, and small passage details, but this is no time to stop.

The gatehouse upper room at night, with white walls, lattice windows, and lanterns

Inside the upper room, I lay a wooden floor and finish the white walls, lattice windows, and dark oak beams.
Railings and lanterns turn the space above the gate into a proper interior passage.

The former dead end and completed switchback stairs in daylight

In daylight, the old dead end now feels more like a small inner court.
The route passes through the gate, continues straight ahead, and then climbs along the wall into the upper room.

The main gate and illuminated upper gatehouse seen from the castle town at night

From the town, the white upper story and deepslate-tile roof now rise above the main gate.
Light in the windows gives the castle another pleasing landmark after dark.

Adding an Outer Gate and Masugata Courtyard

The outer gate and its three doors seen from the main street at night

I add an outer gate with three doors on the main-street side.
After passing through it, the route turns before entering the inner gate instead of running straight ahead.

The outer gate, white walls, and stone paving seen from inside the masugata at night

Between the outer gate and the existing main gate, stone paving and white walls form a *masugata*, a square courtyard between the gates.
Standing lanterns illuminate the walls and make the turn easy to follow at night.

The completed switchback stairs seen from the former dead end in daylight

Beyond the masugata and the inner gate, the daylight stairs rise ahead.
Blue sky appears above them, making the once-closed entrance feel as though it now opens toward the castle wall.

The three inner-gate doors with the switchback stairs visible beyond them

The inner gate also receives three doors.
I open all six doors across the two gates one by one, pass through, and confirm that every door can be closed again afterward.

Stone paving and standing lanterns inside the masugata courtyard in daylight

In daylight, the mossy stonework, white walls, and paving of the masugata are much easier to see.
It is a compact courtyard, but placing two gates around it gives the castle entrance a satisfying sense of depth.

Lanterns hanging beneath the outer gate eaves beside its white walls

Lanterns also hang beneath the outer gate eaves.
The heavy posts, dark roof, and white walls now read clearly from the main street.

Walking Along the Castle Wall to the Inui Yagura

The completed main gate, Inui Yagura, and castle keep seen from the main street

From the main street, I can see the outer gate in front, the upper gatehouse behind it, the Inui Yagura to the left, and the keep above them all.
The buildings rise from the low gate toward the taller turrets, giving the castle a much stronger front entrance.

The completed entrance seen across the castle-town houses and cherry trees

From the southwest, the entrance appears beyond the castle-town houses and cherry trees.
Rather than standing apart, the new gates now connect the town scenery naturally to the Inui Yagura and the keep.

The upper gatehouse, Inui Yagura, and keep seen over the southern wall

For the final test, I walk from the main street through the outer gate, masugata, inner gate, switchback stairs, upper gatehouse, and along the wall to the first floor of the Inui Yagura.
Just before entering the turret, I have to duck beneath the eaves through a very narrow passage, but I make the full journey in both directions.

The suited man standing in front of the completed outer gate

One final picture in front of the completed outer gate.
The former dead end now has two gates, a masugata courtyard, switchback stairs, and an upper gatehouse, creating a real route from the town to the castle wall and the Inui Yagura.

When separate buildings are joined by a route I can actually walk, the whole castle begins to feel like one connected place.
I will follow this new path and think about which part of the castle to improve next.

That is all for this time.
Greetings.

Building a Masugata and Yaguramon at the Main Gate｜OjiCra Season 3 #68