There was once a rule prohibiting girls from dancing in the streets of Matsue City. According to legend, if they did, the base of Matsue Castle, the city's symbol, would begin to shake, endangering the towering structure. The legend suggests that Matsue Castle’s Ishigaki stone walls contain a Hitobashira, a human sacrifice entombed within the stonework to act as the castle's guardian spirit. In this case, the Hitobashira was a young girl who loved to dance, and to prevent the castle from ever collapsing, a law was passed prohibiting girls from dancing in the streets, thus avoiding upsetting the spirit within.
Also known as Chidori-Jo, or Plover Castle, Matsue Castle in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, is one of just 12 keeps remaining in original condition and one of five National Treasure-registered castles. Situated high atop Mt. Kameda on the northern banks of Lake Shinji, Matsue Castle was built by Horio Yoshiharu (1544-1611), previously the castellan of Hamamatsu Castle, and his son Tadashi (1578-1604). The Horio clan was awarded the domain for their meritorious deeds in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Construction began in 1607 and was completed five years later. Horio Tadashi died without an heir, and the Horio clan ended in 1611 with the death of his father, Yoshiharu.
Kyogoku Tadataka then became the Lord of Matsue, followed in 1638 by Matsudaira Naomasa (1601-1666), a grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, whose descendants ruled until 1871 when the castle was abandoned. Except for the main tower, all surrounding defensive watchtowers, gates, and other structures were demolished in 1875.
Matsue Castle had just eight yagura watchtowers and four gates, which was relatively few for such a large and important castle. However, its Renkaku-shiki layout, hilltop positioning, wide moats, numerous canals, steep embankments, and high ishigaki stone walls provided sufficient defense.
Standing 23 meters above the seven-meter-high stone tenshu-dai base, Matsue Castle’s tower keep is a fine example of an early Edo period tenshu with five levels concealing six inner floors and an underground basement. Access is via the forward-protruding tsuke-yagura, adjoining the basement. The interior is maintained in excellent condition and contains a fine collection of samurai helmets, armor, weapons, and items of historical interest. Unlike most castles, the main support pillars of Matsue Castle are constructed from multiple timber beams fastened together with staple-like hooks called Kasugai.
The keep is a borogata type tenshu, or watchtower style, similar to the towers of Inuyama, Maruoka, and Nakatsu Castles. Borogata towers resemble temple hall construction, with towers built onto the center of the roof. Matsue’s tower keep has two levels under a temple-like irimoya roof, with a tower section raised on top. The exterior of the lower sections is covered in black shitami-ita, blackened wood paneling protecting the wattle-and-daub-type mud walls beneath, giving the castle an older appearance. Matsue Castle has ishi-otoshi stone-dropping chutes set on the second floor, hidden by the first tier of roofing, a trait shared only with Nagoya Castle. Incidentally, Matsue’s copper-plated rooftop shachi-hoko tiger-fish ornaments are 2.25 meters high, second only to Nagoya Castle. Another point of note is the kato-mado, the elegant candle flame-shaped central window above the second floor roofing and below the third floor’s triangular hafu curved roof gable, adding an attractive design to the otherwise stoic, geometrical structure of the keep.
Interestingly, while most castle eaves are plastered under the edges to cover the wooden beams and panels and prevent fire from spreading, Matsue Castle’s eaves are not plastered, leaving the plain, exposed wood visible from below. The view from the large, open windows on the top floor provides a clear panorama of the town, rivers, and moats below.
See also
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Nagoya Castle
Nagoya Castle, originally built by the Owari Domain in 1612 during the Edo period, stands on the site of an earlier Oda clan castle from the Sengoku period. It became the centerpiece of Nagoya-juku, a significant castle town on the Minoji road, which connected two major Edo Five Routes: the Tokaido and the Nakasendo. In 1930, ownership of the castle was transferred to the city by the Imperial Household Ministry, establishing it as the focal point of modern Nagoya. Although partially destroyed in the Pacific War in 1945, the castle has undergone continuous restoration and preservation efforts since 1957.
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Matsushiro Castle
Matsushiro Castle, originally known as Kaizu Castle, is located in what was once Matsushiro town, now part of Nagano City. The site is recognized as a National Historic Site of Japan. Situated on the northern Shinano flatlands between the Chikuma River and a former riverbed that serves as a natural outer moat to the north, the castle and its surrounding town were prone to flooding due to their location.
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Fushimi Castle
Fushimi Castle, also known as Momoyama Castle or Fushimi-Momoyama Castle, is located in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto. Originally built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi between 1592 and 1594 as his retirement residence, the castle was destroyed by the 1596 Keichō–Fushimi earthquake and later rebuilt. However, it was demolished again in 1623, and its site now houses the tomb of Emperor Meiji. A replica of the castle was constructed nearby in 1964.
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Odawara Castle
Odawara Castle, located in the city of Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, is a reconstructed historical site with roots dating back to the Kamakura period (1185–1333). The current donjon (main keep) was rebuilt using reinforced concrete in 1960 on the stone foundation of the original structure, which was dismantled between 1870 and 1872 during the Meiji Restoration.
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Shinpu Castle
Shinpu Castle was a Japanese hirayama-style fortress from the Sengoku period, situated in what is now Nirasaki, Yamanashi Prefecture. It served as the main stronghold of warlord Takeda Katsuyori. Designated as a National Historic Site in 1973, the castle occupies a strategic position on a mountain with steep cliffs, overlooking the Kamanashi River to the west of Kofu, where Takeda Shingen’s Tsutsujigasaki Castle once stood.
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Takato Castle
Takato Castle, located in the city of Ina in southern Nagano Prefecture, Japan, was a notable stronghold during the Sengoku period. By the end of the Edo period, it was the residence of a cadet branch of the Naito clan, the daimyo of the Takato Domain. Also known as Kabuto Castle, it was originally constructed in the 16th century and is now mostly in ruins.
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Takatenjin Castle
Takatenjin Castle was a yamashiro-style fortress from Japan's Sengoku period, situated in the Kamihijikata and Shimohijikata districts of Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture. Designated a National Historic Site in 1975, with an expanded protected area in 2007, its ruins remain a significant historical landmark.
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Yoshida Castle
Yoshida Castle is renowned worldwide, particularly through the intricate woodblock prints by Edo Period artist Hiroshige. His famous series, depicting the 53 stages of the Tokaido—the historic route between Kyoto and Edo (modern-day Tokyo)—includes the 34th print, which shows workmen repairing a castle overlooking a wooden bridge crossing a wide river. This scene captures the Toyokawa River at Toyohashi in southeast Aichi Prefecture, and the castle is Yoshida Castle.
