Pagoda mast

The superstructures were constructed on the majority of the ships that were rebuilt by the Japanese during the 1930s, including the Kongō-class battlecruisers and the Fusō, Ise, and Nagato-class battleships.

The additional platforms were supported on the ships' original tripod foremasts (a design also extensively used by the Royal Navy), which were suitably strengthened to bear the extra weight.

Before the outbreak of World War II, powerful searchlights were placed on the pagoda masts to illuminate enemy ships at night.

Naval architects and sailors from the Western hemisphere claimed that the Japanese battleships were too "top-heavy"; critics often mocked these vessels by nicknaming them "Christmas Trees".

[4] During the same interwar period, the Royal Navy implemented the "Queen Anne's Mansions"–style conning tower and bridge, either for retrofitted World War I–era battleships (three of the Queen Elizabeth class, HMS Renown) or for new battleships (the Nelson and King George V classes).