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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Okayama Castle
According to a number of accounts, the earliest fortifications on the site of present-day Okayama Castle appeared as early as the 14th century and were built by the Nawa clan. The Asahigawa River was used as a natural defensive barrier, protecting one side of the fortifications.
In the early 16th century, the Kanamitsu clan constructed a new castle here, which at the time was known as Ishiyama. In 1573, it came under the control of the Ukita clan, after which Ukita Naoie (1529–1582) launched large-scale reconstruction efforts. He did not live to see the work completed, and construction was continued by his son Hideie. -
Nagahama Castle
Hashiba, later known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, received Odani Castle and the surrounding lands from Oda Nobunaga after the defeat of the Azai clan. However, Odani Castle was located high in the mountains, which made it poorly suited for the effective administration of the territory. For this reason, in 1575 Hideyoshi began constructing a new castle in the village of Imahama on the shore of Lake Biwa. Taking the character naga from Nobunaga’s name, he renamed both the village and the new castle Nagahama.
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Kokura Castle
Kokura Castle is traditionally considered to have been founded by Hosokawa Tadaoki (1563–1645), although by the time the Hosokawa clan came to control these lands, the fortification had already existed since at least 1569 and was most likely built by members of the Mori clan.
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Ikeda Castle
In 1334, Ikeda Noriyoshi built a small fort on this site, which over time was repeatedly expanded and rebuilt. During the Ōnin War of 1467–1477, the Ikeda clan supported the Western Coalition. As a result, Ikeda Castle was attacked and captured by the forces of the Eastern Coalition, but it was soon recaptured, allowing it to avoid serious destruction.
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Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle
Aizu-Wakamatsu is the most powerful and at the same time the oldest castle in the Tōhoku region in the north of Honshu Island. Its history begins in the 14th century and is closely connected with the Ashina clan, whose members claimed descent from the legendary Taira family.
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Maruoka Castle
Maruoka Castle is located in the central part of the former city of Maruoka, which is now part of the city of Sakai. This area lies in the northeastern part of Fukui Prefecture. The castle was built on the bank of the Kuzuryu River, on the side opposite Fukui City, which once served as the administrative center of the former Echizen Province. Thanks to its location, Maruoka held significant strategic importance, as it controlled two major routes at once: the Hokurikudo highway leading from Kaga Province and the Mino Kaido road connecting these lands with Mino Province.
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Marugame Castle
Marugame is part of the so-called “Authentic Dozen,” a group of twelve castles whose donjons have survived to the present day without major reconstructions since the Edo period.
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Iyo Matsuyama Castle
Historically, the center of Iyo Province—corresponding to today’s Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku—was the city of Imabari, while the Matsuyama area was regarded as an agricultural hinterland with broad plains and low hills. During the Muromachi period, the central part of the province was governed by the Kano clan from Yuzuki Castle. With the onset of the Sengoku period, however, this clan lost its former influence and was forced to survive in the shadow of the more powerful Mori and Chōsokabe clans. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s forces conquered Shikoku in 1587, the northern part of Iyo Province was granted to Fukushima Masanori, one of the so-called “Seven Spears of Shizugatake.” In 1595, Masanori was transferred to Kiyosu Castle, and the lands around Matsuyama were given to another of the Seven Spears, Katō Yoshiaki, who received Masaki Castle and an income of 60,000 koku of rice.
