fire lookout tower; fire watchtower
Archaic term for a tower used to watch for fires; the modern equivalent is 火の見櫓 (ひのみやぐら).
See also: 火の見櫓
In the Edo period, fire lookout towers were set up throughout the town.
Compound of 望 (look out, observe), 火 (fire), and 楼 (tower, tall building). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji transparently indicate a tower for watching for fires.