small castle with a simple earthen-walled moat
Archaic term for a type of small castle or fortification featuring a moat with earthen walls, as opposed to stone. Used in historical contexts.
During the Warring States period, simple castles like kakiage-jirō were built in various places.
These ruins are thought to have once been a kakiage-jirō.
Compound of 掻き揚げ (kakiage, 'dredging up' or 'scooping up') and 城 (shiro, 'castle'), referring to the method of constructing moats by piling up excavated earth to form simple walls. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.