noun
outermost castle enclosure; outer fortifications including the castle town
Historical term referring to the large-scale defensive perimeter of a Japanese castle that enclosed not only the castle itself but also the surrounding town (jōkamachi). Used in descriptions of castle architecture and history.
小田原城の総構えは、城下町全体を囲む大規模なものでした。
The sōgamae of Odawara Castle was a large-scale structure that enclosed the entire castle town.
戦国時代の城には、総構えと呼ばれる外郭が設けられることがあった。
Castles of the Warring States period sometimes had an outer enclosure called sōgamae.
外堀 is the outer moat, which is often part of a 総構え, but 総構え encompasses the entire defensive perimeter including walls, moats, and gates.
Standard kanji spelling for this historical castle term.
Variant kanji form using 惣 instead of 総; less common in modern texts.
Compound of 総 (sō, 'overall, general') and 構え (gamae, 'structure, posture, enclosure'). The term is historically associated with Japanese castle architecture from the Sengoku period onward.