Soutou Tenshu, Japan's Forgotten Past

I love Ninjago and Japan. Thus was born this idea with historical consonance of medieval Japan, while being incorporable with Ninjago. I have been looking for a long time: to have a strong iconic and cultural medieval Japanese architecture, and to have a Ninjago aspect.

In Japanese, a "Tenshu" is a multi-floor castle tower. A "Tenshukaku" is a Japanese castle. A "Soutou Tenshu" designates a particular architectural form, which is a smaller version of a Tenshukaku. There is no word in English or in Western culture for this type of construction. It’s not just a tower of a castle. It is a scaled-down reproduction of a main keep in a Japanese castle. In the West, this notion does not exist.

To date, there are 12 original surviving Japanese castles. So few remain… The Soutou Tenshu are a cultural treasure in Japan; they are emblematic of its architectural sophistication, beauty and functionality. They are classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

With my creation, I have not reproduced an existing Soutou Tenshu. I wanted an authentic representation of a Soutou Tenshu, but I also wanted to pay tribute to all the Soutou Tenshu which have disappeared over history. That is to say, I preserved the architectural spirit of the Soutou Tenshu, while allowing myself the freedom of imagination to incorporate playability into its construction for a child. The toy aspect of this for a child is just as important to me as its cultural fidelity to Japan.

I have devoted myself to researching and uncovering ancient and long-forgotten aspects of Japanese culture. Whether just forgotten by time or lost in the writings of European historians who “westernized” the Orient too much. Modern history books have erased certain historical facts about Japan which did not agree with their vision of the western (often masculine) world, sometimes so much so that we forget about the Japanese themselves !

For example, today we know that Samurai often had katanas, an iconic and mythical Japanese sword. But we forget that many samurai did not have the financial means to buy such a prestigious weapon, which might cost them years, or even a lifetime, of salary. Likewise, we overlook the fact that there were more modest samurai who fought with axes, spears and bows. More importantly, we are unaware that there were samurai women, called Onna Bugeisha, who could make up 30% of an army. But modern Western feminism ignores the fact that the Japanese, 5 to 6 centuries before the Westerners, already had their feminism. No, feminism is not credited as a gift of our modern world.

Thus, I intentionally incorporated into my Soutou Tenshu five powerful elements of ancient Japanese culture, forgotten and passed over in silence by Western reports.

The construction of Soutou Tenshu, with a certain free interpretation to be compatible with the gameplay:

-Door with stylized Oni face

-Stylized portal (or Torii), with emblem of Japan (wink)

-Forge / blacksmith

-Well water

-Water and sake reserve (wink)

-Prison / warehouse room

-Ōyumi ballist

-Various weapons.

-Sakura Cherry blossom tree (emblematic tree of Japan)

Folding base with 3 basic hinges (pivots) on the outsides, and a triple system of internal hinges per pivot, to stabilize and strengthen the base, with part number 19954 Hinge plate 1x2. When the base is closed, the stability and structural integrity is increased by the triple internal hinge system, and also by the 4 train magnets hidden in the walls of the ground floor.

Everything is playable and functional. You can open the Tenshu by the hinges of the base, or by lifting the building floors like the LEGO Modular sets. Everything is accessible both horizontally and vertically.

Make with LEGO Digital Designer and Studio (Bricklink).

There are 2987 bricks without minifigurines. The project required around three weeks of working and 72 hours of 3D rendering (calculation).