Watchtower - Kan

…The most popular theory is that the name Que was derived from the fact that the space between the towers was missing to form roads. Que was a type of watchtower, also called a guan. No actual remains remain, but from castle plans in Han Dynasty brick paintings and Northern Dynasty murals in Dunhuang, it appears that a high foundation of brick or wood was built, on which rooms with brackets were erected, and the roofs were covered with tiles. …

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "kan (lookout tower)" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…闕の名はその間が欠けて道路になることから，よんだとする説が有力である。闕は一種の見張台で，観ともよばれた。実物の遺構はのこらないが，漢代の画像塼（せん）や敦煌の北朝壁画の城郭図からすると，塼ないしは木造の高い土台を築き，その上に斗栱（ときよう）の組物をもつ部屋を建て，屋根を瓦で葺いた状況がうかがわれる。…

※「観（見張台）」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報