If you have time, you should consider walking around the other sides of the castle ruins. The temple district is beside the Outer Moat Ruins at the northern side of the castle. It had originally been built for the defense of this side when the site had only the hall. However, this side eventually became the weakest point compared with the other sides of the castle. That’s why the former Shogunate Army was able to attack it. You can now enjoy a relaxing walk there seeing some of the temple buildings which were designated as Important Cultural Properties.
The map around the castle
The Outer Moat Ruins at the northern side of the castleThe main gate of Hogenji Temple as an Important Cultural PropertyRyuunin Temple as an Important Cultural Property
The western side is a promenade on the bottom of the former Outer Moat. You can walk on it by looking up at the Main Enclosure. This side is supposed to be more defensive than the northern side.
The promenade on the bottom of the former Outer MoatYou can see how tall the Main Enclosure isLooking up at the Main Enclosure
Later History
After the Meiji Restoration, Matsumae Castle was abandoned and only the Main Tower and the gate in the Main Enclosure remained as the ruins. However, the tower was unfortunately burned down by an accidental fire in 1949. It was externally restored in 1961, but since it’s been 60 years, its concrete building looks old. So, Matsumae Town is considering whether the tower should be rebuilt in the original way or repaired including safety measures such anti-earthquake systems. In addition, the castle ruins have been designated as a National Historic Site since 1935.
The Main Tower of Matsumae Castle before being burned down, taken in 1935 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The restored Main TowerThe Main Tower building looks aging when you see its interior
My Impression
I think Matsumae Castle is a very unique one which has a mix of the traditional Japanese style and a newer advanced style which matches the current situation. As a result, it may have been not enough as the castle was defeated twice. However, it must also be preserved as a record of history. In my opinion, the best season for visiting it should be spring with cherry blossoms, but be aware that there will be a huge crowd as well. Cherry Blossom season is a popular time for locals as well as tourists, so expect more people than usual.
The Man Enclosure Gate in the front and the Main Tower in the backThe Man Enclosure Gate on the left and the Main Tower on the righthydrangea blooming is also good
How to get There
I recommend using a car when you visit the castle ruins because there are only a few buses available. It is about a 2-hour drive away from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station or the center of Hakodate City. From Hakodate Airport, it takes about 2.5 hours to get there. There is a parking lot in the castle ruins. It may be a good idea to rent a car at the station or the airport. To get to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station from Tokyo: Take the Hokkaido Shinkansen super express at Tokyo Station.
So much more to see than just cherry blossoms and The Main Tower
Features
How to enter Castle ruins park
Today, the ruins of Matsumae Castle have been developed as Matsumae Park which is also known for cherry blossoms that consist of about 250 kinds and over 10 thousand trees in total. If you visit them even in August, you can enjoy hydrangea blooming there, which usually blooms in June in the mainland of Japan. Of course, you can also enjoy the castle ruins all year round.
The map around the castle
hydrangea blooming on the stone walls
Drivers can enter them from the Matsumae Town area beside the sea in the south by going through the front entrance, and then passing the Third Enclosure, to the parking lot of the Second Enclosure.
The Matsumae Town areaThe front entranceThe earthen and stone walls of the Third EnclosureThe parking lot at the Second Enclosure
People on foot can enter them from the eastern side through the back entrance to the center.
The Umasaka Route goes from the eastern side of the castle ruinsThe restored area around the Outer Back GateThe center of the castle ruins
Ruins of Facilities for coastal defense
This eastern side of the ruins were well developed by Matsumae Town. For example, other entrances of the castle, the Tenjinzaka Gate and the Outer Back Gate were rebuilt. The stone walls of the Second Enclosure and its mud walls on them were partially restored. Part of the Outer Moat in front of them was dug again.
The restored Tenjinzaka GateThe restored stone walls with mud walls of the Second Enclosure and the Outer Moat
In the Third Enclosure below, you can see some remaining pedestals of the batteries, such as the No.5 Buttery’s with stone walls. If you stand at the ruins of the Drum Turret at the southeastern corner of the Second Enclosure, you will see how good the view of the sea is as well as a good location for spotting ships in the past.
The pedestal of the No.5 ButteryA view of the sea from the buttery pedestalA view of the Second Enclosure from the buttery pedestalThe ruins of the Drum TurretA view from the Drum Turret Ruins
Restored Main Tower and Remaining Main Enclosure Gate
In the Main Enclosure, there is the restored three-level Main Tower. It is actually a modern concrete building, but its external appearance is almost the same as the original one. Only its stone wall base is intact. If you look at them carefully, you can find some dents on it. They are the traces of being shot by guns in the wars during the Meiji Restoration. Its roof is covered with cooper plates to bear the cold climate of Hokkaido, same as the original one.
The restored Main TowerThere are traces of the wars on the stone wall base
You can enter the tower to learn more about the castle and the domain inside. The top floor is also used as the observation platform. However, you may feel like the building is too old.
An exhibition inside the Main Tower buildingA view from the top floor
Many people might only focus on the Main Tower, but there are other interesting things to see in the enclosure. The Main Enclosure Gate beside the tower is the only remaining intact building of the castle, which has been designated as an Important Cultural Property since 1950. The gate was built using wooden materials while its stone walls supporting it look unusually precise as if they were built during the present time.
The remaining Main Enclosure GateThe gate building is certainly made of woodThe stone walls were built very precisely
Remaining part of Main Enclosure Main Hall
The entrance hall of the Main Hall is preserved in front of the gate. It had once been used as the entrance of a school in the back of the gate, its original position. It was moved to the current position in 1982. This entrance hall is said to be part of Fukuyama-kan, the hall which had existed before the castle was built. The original position is a square with a lawn.
The entrance hall of the Main HallIt has a good decorationThe square which had the Main Hall in the past
Matsumae Castle was located in the southern edge of Hokkaido Island which was called Ezo until the Edo Period. Only the Matsumae Domain ruled the island in the period because the native Ainu people mainly lived there. There were over 200 domains in Japan throughout the period, which required earning over 10 thousand koku of rice in their territory. However, the Matsumae Domain couldn’t earn enough rice at that time due to the cold climate of the island. So instead, the domain was allowed to trade with the Ainu people exclusively by the Tokugawa Shogunate to maintain it. As a result, the shogunate specially considered it as an independent domain. On the other hand, the domain at first wasn’t allowed to have a castle which needed a higher status that it didn’t have. That’s why the domain had only a hall for the lord, called Fukuyama-kan at its home base of Matsumae until around the end of the Edo Period.
The location of the castle
In 1849, the lord of the domain, Takahiro Matsumae, was suddenly ordered by the shogunate to build a new castle, which was rare in the period. This was because foreign ships often came around Japan, which might have threatened the safety of the country. The homebase of the domain faced Tsugaru Channel between Hokkaido and the mainland of Japan, where these ships could sail. The shogunate expected the domain to build the castle as a base for coastal defense. Takahiro chose a famous scholar of military science, Ichigaku Ichikawa for the location and design of the castle. Ichigaku recommended moving their homebase to another place in Hakodate for the castle. He didn’t think that Matsumae was suitable for the castle because of its location on the halfway point of a gentle slope. However, the domain refused it, saying it was too expensive and they didn’t want to leave the familiar environment of Matsumae. Finally, the castle was built by replacing the Fukuyama-kan hall in 1855, which was eventually renamed Matsumae Castle.
The photo of Takahiro Matsumae, around 1864 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The relief map around the castle
Castle is mixed with Traditional Japanese style and Modernized features
Matsumae Castle is one of the latest castles to be built using Japanese style, such as having a Main Tower, turrets and gates built with stone walls in several separated enclosures. The castle actually had the Main Enclosure including the three-level Main Tower, its gate and the Main Hall for the lord. The Second Enclosure with several turrets was also built blow the Main Enclosure. The Third Enclosure with the Front Gate was further below. The Inner and Outer Moats were dug between them. On the other hand, the castle had some advanced and specific features. 7 batteries were built towards the sea in the Third Enclosure as a base for coastal defense. The turrets in the Second Enclosure, such as Taiko-Yagura or the Drum Turret, were used as the command posts for the batteries. The stone walls of the castle were built precisely using a method called Kikko-zumi or the Tortoise Shell style. However, those of the Main Tower were not built high at only around 3m, which made it harder to target for ships with guns. The walls of the tower were also built strongly that can withstand gun attacks.
The diorama of the castle, exhibited at the site, adding the red lettersThe present restored Main Tower with the original Main Entrance Gate on the rightThe Drum Turret on the left and the Main Tower on the right in the old photo of the castle, from the signboard at the siteAn example of the stone walls using the Tortoise Shell style method, around the Outer Back Gate
Castle falls twice during Meiji Restoration
The first battle at the castle happened in 1868 during the Meiji Restoration, but not against foreign ships but rather against Japanese troops. The former Shogunate Army led by Takeaki Enomoto escaped from the main land to Hokkaido and captured Goryokaku in Hakodate and they made it their home base. Then, they sent troops led by Toshizo Hijikata and a fleet to Matsumae Castle. The attackers and the defenders in the castle at first fought each other with cannonade. A ship (Banryu-maru) of the fleet had to withdraw being shot by a battery outside of the castle. However, Hijikata also attacked the side and the back of the castle. In fact, the back side was the weakest point of it. This was because the gentle slope, where it was built on, was easy to attack from the back. Moreover, the Matsumae Domain spent a lot of money on the front facing the sea, but only a few on the back. The castle would eventually fall.
The photo of Takeaki Enomoto, in 1868 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)GoryokakuThe photo of Toshizo Hijikata, taken by Kenzo Tamoto, in 1868 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The photo of Banryu-maru, in 1868 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The spot where Hijikata first attacked, called Umasaka Route, marked by the red circle
In the next year, the warriors of the domain, who managed to escape to Aomori in the main land, tried to retaliate with the help of the New Government Army to get Matsumae Castle back. They equipped stronger guns with a more modernized fleet than the former Shogunate Army. They landed at Hokkaido again and got close to the castle by fighting. When they attacked the castle from the other side of it, the defender of the former Shogunate Army eventually surrendered.
The spot where Matsumae warriors attacked, called Yudonosawazaka Route, marked by the red circle
