The Ultimate Fortress: Azuchi Castle and the Japanese Donjon - Assassin's Creed Shadows Explained

Assassin's Creed Shadows immerses players in Japan’s Sengoku period, an age of endless warfare and legendary warriors, which also gave rise to iconic defensive "donjon" strongholds like Azuchi Castle, built by the great unifier Oda Nobunaga. More than just a fortress, Azuchi revolutionised Japanese castle design, ushered in the Azuchi-Momoyama period and proved that even in war, innovation thrives. In this episode, Matt Lewis is joined by Professor Oleg Benesch, author of Japanese Castles: Citadels Of Modernity In War And Peace. Together, they take us through how the game recreates the long-lost and groundbreaking architecture of Azuchi Castle and the remarkable castles of Japan that followed it. SUBSCRIBE - https://bit.ly/ACEoHsub ---------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Matt Lewis! • Facebook -   / mattlewisauthor   • Twitter - https://x.com/mattlewisauthor • Instagram -   / mattlewishistory   • History Blog - https://mattlewisauthor.wordpress.com... -------------------------------------------------------------------- About Assassin's Creed - Echoes of History: Echoes of History is a Ubisoft series brought to you by History Hit. Listen to the full episodes here: https://lnkfi.re/1YFL0t Hosted by: Matt Lewis Edited by: Alex Jones Produced by: Robin McConnell Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett ---------------------------------------------------------------- Follow us!   / historyhit     / assassinscreed   https://x.com/historyhit https://x.com/assassinscreed ---------------------------------------------------------------- Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at [email protected] 00:00 - Introduction 00:42 - When was Azuchi Castle built? 08:17 - Oda Nobunaga's demise 10:00 - Western influence on Japanese castle design 13:03 - Japanese castles as cultural hubs 14:47 - When were the first Japanese castles built? 17:09 - How were Japanese castles built before Azuchi? 21:21 - Japanese vs European castles 24:37 - Why is Azuchi Castle so important? 29:57 - How accurate is AC Shadows' Azuchi castle? 35:34 - Why is it called the Azuchi-Momoyama period? 38:16 - The legacy of Azuchi 43:09 - Enter the Animus: where would you go in time? #assassinscreed #history #japan