Matsumoto Castle is a designated National Treasure, located on the plains of Matsumoto City in central Nagano Prefecture. As a hira-jiro, or castle built on the plains, it necessitated an extensive system of moats, stone and earthen walls, and gatehouses for defense.
Originally, the site was a fortress used by the Ogasawara clan around 1504. It was later taken by Takeda Shingen in 1550, and subsequently by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who awarded it to Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ieyasu reinstated the Ogasawara clan, placing Ogasawara Sadayoshi in command. Sadayoshi named the area Matsumoto before Tokugawa Ieyasu replaced him with the trusted general Ishikawa Kazumasa.
From 1590, Kazumasa began rebuilding and expanding the castle but died in 1592. His son, Yasunaga, also known as Gemba, completed the work in 1594, including the current five-story black lacquered wooden-clad tower.
The construction inside the smaller Ko-tenshu tower and the main Tenshu tower is particularly interesting. The upright pillars in the older Ko-tenshu are rounded, while those in the main Tenshu are square, indicating different construction periods. The main keep and sub-keep towers are linked by fortified watari-yagura corridors. Both the Tenshu and Ko-tenshu feature ishi-otoshi rock-dropping hatches at the corners, indicative of their wartime construction. The southeastern corner has an open-plan yagura called the Tsukimi Yagura, or Moon-Viewing yagura, built in 1634 for moon-viewing parties, alluding to its peacetime construction.
The Tsukimi Yagura was added by Matsudaira Naomasa, Tokugawa Ieyasu's grandson, for his cousin, the third Shogun Iemitsu's planned visit, which was ultimately canceled. It is said that during a moon-viewing party in the Tsukimi Yagura, the moon can be seen three times: in the sky, reflected in the moat, and in your sake cup.
Matsumoto Castle is a collection of five separate National Treasures: the main keep, the Ko-tenshu, the two adjoining corridors, and the Tsukimi Yagura. The outer walls of the tenshu complex are covered in black lacquered shitami-itabari cladding, protecting the mud walls within and giving the castle a somber appearance, especially against the backdrop of the winter snow-capped northern Alps.
In 1872, following the collapse of the feudal system and the start of the Meiji Restoration, Matsumoto Castle was slated for demolition and sold at auction. However, citizens formed a group to save the castle, successfully preserving it for future generations. In the mid-Meiji period, the castle developed a lean, prompting civic groups to repair the tower keep. Designated a National Treasure in 1952, recent improvements have included the reconstruction of several gates and walls.
At the corner of the Taiko Yagura Mon Gate and the current entrance to Matsumoto Castle stands a large, rectangular rock about 2.5 meters high and weighing an estimated 22.5 tons, known as the Genba Stone. Named after Ishikawa Genba, the samurai lord tasked with the castle's redevelopment in 1590, the stone symbolizes power and financial strength. The story goes that Ishikawa Genba, hearing laborers complain about moving the heavy rock, swiftly executed the main complainer and displayed his head as a warning, ensuring the rock was quickly and quietly moved into place.
Matsumoto Castle, also known as Karasu-Jo or Crow Castle due to its black-walled main tower and adjoining towers resembling a crow spreading its wings, is a stunning example of Sengoku period castle architecture. It is one of only five castles designated as a National Treasure and, though off the standard tourist path, remains a remarkable destination.
See also
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Nadzima Castle
It is believed that the first structures on this site were built by Tachibana Akitoshi (?-1568), head of the Tachibana clan, a branch family of the Ōtomo clan, as auxiliary fortifications for Tachibanayama Castle. In 1587, Toyotomi Hideyoshi established control over the island of Kyushu and granted Chikuzen Province to Kobayakawa Takakage, one of the leading vassals of the Mori clan. Takakage began construction of a new castle on the site of the existing fortifications in 1588. The exact date of completion is unknown, but by the time the invasion of Korea began in 1592, the castle had already been finished, as records note that Toyotomi Hideyoshi stayed there overnight on his way to Hizen Nagoya Castle, which served as the headquarters of the invasion forces.
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Kubota Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be Satake Yoshinobu (1570–1633). Yoshinobu was one of the six great generals of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. During the Odawara Campaign of 1590, he took part in the siege of Oshi Castle under the command of Ishida Mitsunari, with whom Yoshinobu developed a good relationship.
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Kavanhoe Castle
Kawanoe Castle is located on the small Wasi-yama hill near the port area of the Kawanoe district in the city of Shikokuchuo, occupying a central position along the northern coast of Shikoku Island. Kawanoe was also known as Butsuden Castle. The term “butsuden” in Japan refers to temple halls, and for this reason it is believed that a Buddhist temple once stood on the site before the castle was built. Due to its location at the junction of four provinces on Shikoku Island, Kawanoe held significant strategic importance and was repeatedly targeted by rival forces seeking military control over the region.
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Yokote Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be the Onodera clan. The Onodera were originally a minor clan from Shimotsuke Province and served Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199), the founder of the first shogunate. The Onodera distinguished themselves in battle against the Fujiwara clan of the Ōshū branch and were rewarded with lands around Yokote. Around the 14th century, the Onodera moved to Yokote as their permanent residence. Their original stronghold was Numadate Castle, but after a series of clashes with the powerful Nambu clan, they relocated their base to the site of present-day Yokote Castle. It was likely during this time that the first fortifications appeared at the castle.
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Wakayama Castle
Wakayama Castle was built in 1585, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered his uterine brother, Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hidenaga, to construct a castle on the site of the recently captured Ota Castle. The purpose of this construction was to secure control over the likewise newly conquered Province of Kii. Following an already established tradition, Hidenaga entrusted the project to his castle-building expert, Todo Takatora. Takatora carefully inspected the future castle site, personally drew up several designs, created a model of the planned castle, and took part in the work of laying out the grounds (nawabari). For the construction he brought in more than 10,000 workers and completed the large-scale project within a single year, which was considered extremely fast by the standards of the time.
Toyama Castle
Toyama Castle is located almost in the very center of the former province of Etchū and is surrounded by a wide plain with a large number of rivers. The very first castle on the banks of the Jinzu River was built in 1543 by Jimbo Nagamoto. The Jimbo clan were vassals of the Hatakeyama clan and governed the western part of Etchū Province. The eastern part of the province belonged to their rivals, the Shiina clan, who were also Hatakeyama vassals. Beginning in the 15th century, the influence of the ancient Hatakeyama clan gradually weakened, and as a result, the Jimbo and the Shiina fought constant wars for control of the province. Meanwhile, the forces of the Ikkō-ikki movement periodically intervened, helping first one side and then the other.
Takada Castle
During the Sengoku period, the lands where Takada Castle would later be built were part of Echigo Province and were controlled by the Uesugi clan.
Kishiwada Castle
The celebrated 14th-century military commander Kusunoki Masashige (1294–1336), who owned extensive lands south of what is now the city of Osaka, ordered one of his vassals, Kishiwada Osamu, to build a fortified residence. This order was carried out around 1336. These fortifications became the first structures on the site of what would later become Kishiwada Castle. From the beginning, the castle stood in a strategically important location—roughly halfway between the cities of Wakayama and Osaka, south of the key port of Sakai. Because of this position, it changed hands several times during periods of warfare.
