large main tower – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

29.Matsumoto Castle Part2

When you arrive at Matsumoto Castle, in the present time, the first thing you have to do is to enjoy its Main Tower. It is one of the only two remaining five-level Main Towers, followed by Himeji Castle, one of the five Main Towers of Japan’s National Treasures, and one of the twelve remaining Main Towers.

Features

Beautiful but Strong Main Tower

It may be a good idea to walk around the inner moat surrounding the main enclosure to enjoy a beautiful view of the tower before entering it. The width of the moat in front of the tower is about 60m. It would make enemies shooting up from the side ineffective but defenders shooting down from the tower more effective at that time. In addition, if the enemies could swim across the moat to the tower, they would be heavily counterattacked by the defenders through its defense systems such as machicolations and loopholes.

The aerial photo around the castle

The inner moat in front of the Main Tower

A machicolation and loopholes near the entrance of the tower

Reasons for Black Main Tower

The black-looking Main Tower of Matsumoto Castle (sometimes called “Crow Castle”) is often compared with the Himeji castle’s painted white clearly by contrast. Its black appearance comes from its wooden side walls covered with special Japanese lacquer, which could withstand harsh weathers. Himeji Castle is covered in plaster, which make it look white, and it is newer than Matsumoto Castle. It is said that using plaster on all walls of a castle would not effectively protect against the rain when Matsumoto Castle was built. That meant the improvements in wall painting techniques occurred between the building of the two castles. Another possible reason for the using the black walls is that wooden walls are stronger than plaster walls against the cold winter of inland area like the Matsumoto Basin.

If you look up at the Main Tower, you can see its each level is covered with plaster in the upper part and wooden walls in the lower part

Himeji Castle, a representative of white castles

Some also say black was a favorite color of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, while white was the color which Ieyasu Tokugawa often used for his castles when Himeji Castle was built. Anyway, these speculations are enjoyable to see the contrast.

*Hideyoshi’s Main Tower of Osaka Castle, from “The summer campaign of the siege of Osaka folding screens”, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons*)

Nagoya Castle, another representative of white castle, during Ieyasu’s period

Unique Lookout Tower

The Main Tower of Matsumoto Castle actually consists of the large main tower, the Inui small main tower, and three turrets (Watari Yagura, Tatsumi-Tsuke Yagura and Tsukimi Yagura) which are connected to each other. This is called “multiple attached style”. The large one is generally considered “the Main Tower”. The tower has five levels but six floors inside. This type of the tower is called the lookout tower type, which refers to a small lookout tower on a large turret. In the case of Matsumoto Castle, the turret part is the first and second floors and the fifth and top floors is the tower part, binding the middle part of the third and fourth floors. However, the third floor is built as the attic of the turret part, with no roof. That’s why the numbers of its levels and floors are different.

(From the left) The Inui small main tower, (simple) Watari Turret, the large main tower, Tatsumi Turret, and Tsukimi Turret)

In addition, the Main Tower has a striking appearance for a lookout tower. One of the reasons for this is that the top floor doesn’t have a veranda, which lookout towers usually had, and is covered with walls. The fact is that it had been first planned to have a veranda, but was changed to its current state during construction. As a result, the tower looks a little top-heavy.

The top level is covered with the walls, which looks a little top-heavy.

To be continued in “Matsumoto Castle Part3”
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190.Yatsushiro Castle Part2

Rare stonewalls made of limestone, The contrast of the white limestone walls compliment the green water

Features

Contrast of White and Green colors

Today, the ruins of Yatsushiro Castle mainly remains as Yatsushiro Shrine including the Main Enclosure. The enclosure doesn’t have castle buildings, but still have its stone walls and the Inner Moat which are in a good condition. The castle was originally built near the sea, but you can’t see it at all around the ruins because of the land reclamation.

The aerial photo around the castle

If you get close to the ruins from the city area, you will find they have a different atmosphere from other castles or ruins. The stone walls of Yatsusiro Castle partially looks white because they were built mainly using limestone, which is rare to see in Japanese castles. These stones have discolored with time like normal ones, so they must have looked much more white when they were new. The water in the Inner Moat comes from Kumagawa River, and it looks green because of algae in the river. The contrast of the white and green colors is unique and beautiful.

The water in the Inner Moat comes from Kumagawa River

Overhanging Masugata square spaces

The enclosure has three entrances, two of which are original to the castle, and the other one was added when the shrine was established. The front is at the eastern side while the back is on the northern side. If you want to enter the front entrance, you can walk across Rankan-bashi or the Handrail Bridge whose one of its ornamental caps is intact, which has the year and month of when the castle was completed.

The Handrail Bridge at the front entrance

The ornamental cap which has the year and month of the castle’s completion, *quoted from the website of Yatsushiro City*

The overhanging Masugata square shape is also intact, surrounded by great stone walls. The stone wall base for Migaki-yagura Turret supports its left side and alternating stone walls stand on the back and right sides. You need to walk in and turn right to enter the inside of the enclosure. This design is very defensive.

The Handrail Bridge seen from the stone wall base for Migaki-yagura Turret, the front of the Masugata system overhangs towards the bridge

The Masugata system of the front entrance

The alternating stone walls surround the path to the center of the Main Enclosure

The back entrance on the north also has a similar design.

Outstanding Main Tower base

The highlight of the ruins is the stone wall base for the Main Tower at the northwestern corner of the Main Enclosure. The base has two tiers for the Large Main Tower and Small one. These towers were burned down by a lightning fire in 1672. After that, only the Small Main Tower was restored. Today, though only their stone wall bases remain, if you look at them from the outside of the Inner Moat, they look so great! The base for the Large Main Tower also supported the back entrance of the enclosure on the right side to prevent enemies form attacking it easily.

The base for the Large Main Tower on the left and the base for the Small Main Tower on the right

*The stone wall base for the Large Main Tower* at the northwestern corner of the Main Enclosure

The Large Main Tower base also supports the back entrance on the left

Unfortunately, you can’t climb up these Main Tower bases from the inside of the enclosure because of partially collapsing walls as of December 2022. Alternatively, you can climb up other stone walls to sit and rest, see a view around the castle, and understand how the castle was protected.

Looking up the Large Main Tower base from the inside of the Main Enclosure

It was prohibited to clime the Main Tower base as of December 2022

You cam climb the tops of other stone walls

To be continued in “Yatsushiro Castle Part3”
Back to “Yatsushiro Castle Part1”

81.Matsuyama Castle Part3

You can enjoy both of real buildings and stone walls.

Features

Main Compound and Main Tower on it

The highlight of the castle is the Main Compound including the Main Tower in the back of the Main Enclosure. It looks so great as it was by mixing the remaining and restored buildings.

The map around the Main Compound

To reach the tower, you need to pass the zigzagging inner route again through the remaining First, Second and Third Gates. There are also remaining mud walls with loop holes on the way. You can see other visitors though the holes.

The remaining East Wall of Sujigane Gate

You can see other visitors though a loop hole

Then, you will eventually arrive at the inner court of the Main Tower. Its style is called the Tower Grouping, so the court is surrounded by the Large and Small Towers and other turrets. Enemies would be destroyed if they could pass through that complex route earlier on.

Sujigane Gate, the entrance to the buildings of the tower grouping

Visitors today first enter the Cellar, basement of the Large Tower, and walk around the other buildings like a corridor, seeing the exhibitions about the castle. In fact, the buildings there except for the Large Tower were all restored after the arson in 1933. They were built the same as the original one, so you may think they were not restored.

Visitors first walk around the other buildings of the tower grouping

The stairs to the top of the restored Small Main Tower

The second floor of the Small Main Tower

A view of the inner court from the Small Main Tower

After walking around, you will eventually enter the remaining Large Tower again. You can climb up the steep wooden steps to the top third floor. The floor is open and you can enjoy an even more great view there.

The second floor of the Large Main Tower

A view from the western side of the Large Main Tower (the buildings of the tower grouping in front, the city area and the Seto Inland Sea in back)

A view from the southern side of the Large Main Tower (the Main Enclosure in front, the city area in back)

Great Stone Walls

If you have time. I recommend seeing the back side of the Main Enclosure, as there are also several remaining or restored buildings. For example, Nohara Turret is said to be one of the oldest buildings in the castle, which is the only remaining example of a two-tier Lookout Tower style turret.

The map around the Main Enclosure

The back side of the Main Compound (the Northern Corner Turret on the left and the Southern Corner Turret on the right)

If you also get out of the restored Inui-mon or Northwest Gate, which is the back gate, and go back to the Main Gate Ruins, you can see the long, great, high stone walls of the Main Enclosure along the way. They look very beautiful having vertical curves like a folding fan and horizontal lines like a folding screen. However, they were originally built to attack enemies efficiently.

The stone walls of the northwestern side of the Main Enclosure, Nohara Turret is over there

The stone walls of the northeastern side of the Main Enclosure, one of the oldest in the castle

The stone walls the Main Enclosure near the Main Compound, you can see the building of the Second Gate

The great stone walls of the Southeast Turret

Finally, I recommend you using the Kencho-ura Route when you return to the foot, because the route is well developed and you can see the remaining Southern Climbing Stone Walls close by. Though the Northern Climbing Stone Walls were unfortunately mostly destroyed, the southern stone walls were still intact, which is over 230m long covering the slope. It is said to have the best condition among the other remaining climbing stone walls such as in Sumoto, Hikone and Yonago Castles.

The Sothern Climbing Stone Walls along the route

The Climbing Stone Walls of Hikone Castle

My Impression

Matsuyama Castle has become one of the most famous symbols of Matsuyama City. If you walk around the city area, you can see the castle buildings on the mountain from almost anywhere. In addition, if you visit and see them, you can still find and re-experience how to build and use the castle like people in the past used to do. This is because the city made great efforts not only for maintaining the original items but also for restoring many buildings like the original ones. I learned a lot from the castle and recommend you visiting and seeing it.

The Main Tower with the Main Compound of Matsuyama Castle

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car, it is about 30 minutes from Matsuyama IC on the Matsuyama Expressway. There is a parking lot in the park.
By public transportation, you can take the city tram bound for Dogo-Onsen from JR Matsuyama Station or Matsuyama-shi Station on the Iyo Railway and get off at the Okaido stop. It takes about 5 minutes on foot from the stop to get to the park.
From Tokyo or Osaka to Matsuyama City: I recommend traveling by plane and you can take the bus or rent a car to get there.

That’s all. Thank you.
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