Matsuyama city – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

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.
Back to “Matsuyama Castle Part1”
Back to “Matsuyama Castle Part2”

81.Matsuyama Castle Part1

Yoshiaki Kato devoted himself to the construction of this castle.

Location and History

Yoshiaki Kato builds Castle as his new Home Base

Matsuyama City in Ehime Prefecture is one of the most popular tourist spots in Japan, which is also known for attractions such as the Dogo Hot Spring. In fact, the area around the hot spring was the center of Iyo Province, the former Ehime Pref. until the Middle Ages. The Kono Clan governed the province by building Yuzuki Castle beside the spring. However, the clan declined during the unification of Japan by Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Ieyasu Tokugawa. When the Tokugawa Shogunate was established by Ieyasu after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, it gave a large territory in Iyo Province to Yoshiaki Kato who distinguished in the battle.

The range of Matsuyama City and the location of the castle

Yoshiaki was an excellent general who worked under Hideyoshi and Ieyasu, joining many battles including the invasion of Korea. He built the Matsuyama Castle on Katsuyama Mountain which is 132 meters high, using his knowledge about the modern technology and his own experience building castles. The situation was still unstable and it is also said that Yoshiaki quarreled with Takatora Todo who divided Iyo Provence with him. Yoshiaki completely devoted himself to the construction of the castle from 1602 to 1627 until he was transferred to Wakamatsu Castle in the Tohoku Region. Just after the launch of the construction, he renamed Katsuyama (which means Win Mountain) Matsuyama (which means Pine Mountain). For the Japanese at that time, the word Matsu or Pine was a lucky one which can be seen in other castles’ names like Wakamatsu, Matsumoto, and Matsusaka. This is the origin of the names of Matsuyama Castle and City.

The portrait of Yoshoaki Kato, owned by Fujisaka Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The relief map around the castle

The apparently restored Main Tower of Wakamatsu Castle Yoshiaki originally built

Strictly protected Mountain Part and Convenient Large Foot Part

The top area of Katsuyama Mountain was like a shape of a tongue which became the Main Enclosure. In addition, another enclosure called Hondan or the Central Compound was built for the Main Tower, on the highest point of the Main Enclosure. The style of the Main Tower is called Renritsu-siki or the Tower Grouping, which refers to the Large and Small Main Towers and turrets being connected by the Hall Turrets like a corridor. The first Large Main Tower was said to have five levels. The Second Enclosure was built at the foot of the mountain for the Main Hall for the lord. The enclosures mentioned above were all surrounded by high stone walls. The Main Route connecting the Second and Main Enclosures was built complexly to avoid enemies from attacking easily. Moreover, the route was surrounded on both sides by long-line stone walls called Nobori-Ishigaki or the Climbing Stone walls. This stone wall style was rare and introduced by the lords who joined the invasion of Korea, including Yoshiaki Kato. Finally, The Third Enclosure, which was the largest one in the castle, was built outside the Second Enclosure and surrounded by water moats for government offices and high-ranking warriors’ houses.

the Tower Grouping type Main Tower of Matsuyama Castle

Part of the Secret Picture of Kikaku Castle (another name of Matsuyama Castle) in 1864, from the signboard at the site

The Climbing Stone walls *of Matsuyama Castle*

After Yoshiaki was transferred in 1627, the Gamo Clan followed the castle construction, completing the Second Enclosure. The Hisamatsu-Matsudaira Clan followed the Gamo Clan in 1635 and continued the construction. It had been said the clan reduced the levels of the Main Tower from five to three for some reasons. According to the recent research, it was founded the Central Compound as the base of the tower was moved and renovated. It could be because the ground of the original compound was weak. It is possible that the first thing that the clan built was the three-tier main tower. The clan also completed the Third Enclosure by building another Main Hall in it in 1687.

The partially restored Second Enclosure of Matsuyama Castle

The present Third Enclosure of Matsuyama Castle

Restoring Main Tower and Trial during Meiji Restoration

Fortunately, no battle happened at this castle, however, other natural disasters hit the castle. In 1784, most of the buildings on the Central Compound including the Main Tower were burned down by a lightning fire. The Matsuyama Domain led by the Hisamatsu-Matsudaira Clan couldn’t afford rebuilding them. After a while, the domain somehow restore them in 1853 at the end of the Edo Period. The restored buildings are thought to have the same designs as the previous ones. That’s why the Main Tower of this castle is the newest Main Tower of the twelve remaining ones in Japan.

The remaining Main Tower of Matsuyama Castle was restored in 1853

The Hisamatsu-Matsudaira Clan originally used only Hisamatsu as their family name. However, the founder of the clan, Sadakatsu and that of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Ieyasu were brothers but with different fathers. For this reason, Sadakatsu was allowed to use the family name Matsudaira as a relative of the shogun. This had been fortune during the Edo Period, while unfortune during the Meiji Restoration when the shogunate was defeated. The clan had to support the shogunate and invade the territory of the Choshu Domain which would be a winner of the restoration. They feared the revenge of the Choshu which actually was coming to Matsuyama Castle and would destroy it. Then, the Tosa Domain led by the Yamanouchi Clan, which had a close relationship with Hisamatsu-Matsudaira Clan, saved it. The domain troops intentionally occupied the castle before the Choshu troops arrived to avoid the Choshu doing anything without permission.

The Main Tower of Matsuyama Castle, seen from the ruins of Yuzuki Castle

To be continued in “Matsuyama Castle Part2”

80.Yuzuki Castle Part1

The center of Iyo Province in the Middle Ages

Location and History

Great find of Matsuyama City

Matsuyama City is one of the most popular tourist spots in Japan, which is also known for attractions such as the Dogo Hot Spring and Matsuyama Castle. However, you should check out another one as well, called Yuzuki Castle. The Dogo Hot Spring has been said to be the oldest hot spring in Japan, so some ancient imperial family members probably including Prince Shotoku once visited there and stayed for a while. The hill, where Yuzuki Castle would be built later, was near the hot spring and had the Isaniwa Shrine at the top. That means the area around the hill had been considered a holy place by the people in Iyo Province which is now modern day Ehime Prefecture.

The range of Iyo Province and the location of Yuzuki Cassle

Official Residence of Governor, Kono Clan

The Kono Clan was one of the local clans in Iyo Province. When the Mongol Invasion happened in 1281, Michiari Kono, the lord of the clan, was very active in the battle against the Mongol troops, who was also drawn in the picture scrolls of the Mongol invasion attempts against Japan, which was produced by Suenaga Takezaki. In the first 14th Century, the Kono Clan managed to take over the province, therefore, they built Yuzuki Castle on the hill after relocating the shrine to another place next to the hill. The clan finally became the ruling clan of the province, living in the castle as the official residence of the governor. The holy spot probably also provided the clan more authority.

Michiari Kono drawn in the picture scrolls of the Mongol invasion attempts against Japan (licensed by Wikimedia Commons)

The hill where Yuzuki Castle was built and the Isaniwa Shrine had been

However, the governance of Iyo Province by the Kono Clan was not very stable. This was because other clans such as the Hosokawa and Ouchi Clans invaded the province. The Kono Clan itself sometimes had internal troubles as well. In 1535 during the Sengoku Period, Michinao Kono, the lord of the clan at that time, built an Outer Moat using earthen walls inside, to make his castle much stronger defensively. The castle originally had an Inner Moat with other earthen walls outside, so by having the second outer moat, it doubled the moats.

You can see the doubled moats of Yuzuki Castle in the miniature model of the ruins, exhibited by the Yuzuki Castle Museum

It is still uncertain what the center of the castle on the hill was used for, but the lord of the castle might have lived there. The area between the Inner and Outer moats was shared by the warriors for living and divided by the mud walls for each resident. The southern part was used as the residences for the high-class warriors. Each portion for them was large and a Japanese garden was built next to that part. On the other hand, the western part was used as the residences for the middle-class warriors. Each portion was much smaller than that of high-class residences, but one of the residences had a meeting room where people could enjoy parties for poetry which were very popular back then. In addition, the castle had at least two gates, one on the eastern gate which was the front and another one on the western side which was the back.

The residences for the middle-class warriors in in the miniature model

Castle is abandoned after Kono Clan declines

Despite the renovation of the castle, the Kono Clan struggled to maintain it. According to the excavation, the castle was burned down after the renovation. The clan managed to rebuild the castle and tried to survive by working closely with the Kurushima Clan as well as with the Murakami navy forces. Despite the invasion by the Chosogabe Clan from Tosa Province, which was the south of Iyo, along with the unification of Japan by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the Kono Clan had to ask the Mori Clan in the Aki Province, which was the north of Iyo, for help. In 1585, Ushifukumaru Kono, the last lord of the clan, handed the castle over to Takakage Kobayakawa, who was a relative of the Mori Clan. In 1588 when Masanori Fukushima, following Takakage, moved from Yuzuki Castle to another castle. the castle was eventually abandoned.

The portrait of Takakage Kobayakawa, owned by Beisanji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Masanori Fukushima, the lord of Hiroshima Castle, owned by the Tokyo National Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Yuzuki Castle Part2”