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.
The castle was designed in a concentric layout, with the Central Bailey (Hon-Maru) at its core, protected by walls and initially featuring a tenshu (main keep) in its northwest corner, which was later replaced by a yagura (turret). A moat surrounded the Central Bailey, which was itself encircled by the Second Bailey (Ni-no-Maru), featuring earthen ramparts and stone fortifications near its gates. The Second Bailey was bordered by a dry moat on its south and east, while the Third Bailey (San-no-Maru) lay beyond. The palace and official residences of the daimyo were located in the Hana-no-Maru enclosure, adjacent to the main defenses.
The castle’s origins date back to 1560, when it was built by Yamamoto Kansuke under the command of Takeda Shingen and named Kaizu Castle. Kosaka Danjo (Kosaka Masanobu), a retainer of the Takeda clan, was its first commander. Takeda Shingen used the castle in his battles against Uesugi Kenshin for control over northern Shinano Province. The castle is located near the site of the famed Battle of Kawanakajima, where the Takeda and Uesugi forces fought several times.
After the fall of the Takeda clan, the castle changed hands, eventually coming under Oda Nobunaga's control. However, following Nobunaga's assassination during the 1582 Honno-ji incident, Uesugi Kagekatsu reclaimed northern Shinano. The castle became a point of contention between the Uesugi and Sanada clans. Under Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s rule, the Uesugi were moved to Aizu, and after Hideyoshi’s death, the Tokugawa shogunate assigned Sanada Nobuyuki to Matsushiro Domain in 1622, relocating him from Ueda.
The castle was renamed Matsushiro Castle in 1711 by Sanada Yukimichi, the third-generation daimyo of the Sanada family. After a fire destroyed the castle in 1717, it was rebuilt the following year with the help of a 10,000 ryo donation from the Tokugawa shogunate. The castle sustained severe damage from a flood in 1742, and reconstruction continued until 1758. In 1770, the palace structures were moved to the Hana-no-Maru enclosure and rebuilt in 1804, but much of the castle was damaged again by an earthquake in 1847. Following another fire in 1853, the palace was rebuilt, and a secondary palace was constructed outside the castle in 1864.
After the Meiji Restoration and the abolition of the han system, most of the remaining structures of Matsushiro Castle were dismantled in 1871. In 1873, the remaining parts were destroyed by a fire, leaving only the stone foundations that remain today.
See also
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Arato Castle
Arato Castle was built in 1524 by the Yamada clan under the orders of their overlord, Murakami, as a small mountain fort. Over time, it gained strategic importance and became a focal point in the conflict between two famous daimyō of the Sengoku period — Takeda Shingen and Murakami Yoshikiyo. This conflict turned the castle into one of the key fortifications in the struggle for control over Shinano Province.
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Tatsuno Castle
Tatsuno Castle is not a single fortification but rather a complex consisting of two parts: a mountain fortress located at the summit of Mount Keirozan and a flatland-mountain castle situated at its base. The mountain stronghold was built around 1499 by Akamatsu Murahide. During the Muromachi period, the Akamatsu clan was an influential family that, at the height of its power, controlled the provinces of Settsu, Harima, Bizen, and Mimasaka. Murahide’s ancestors were directly involved in the events of the Genkō War in the 14th century and in the subsequent establishment of the Ashikaga shogunate. However, by the 15th century, due to the process of gekokujō, the clan began to lose its position under pressure from rising families, including their former vassals—the Urakami and Bessho clans. In addition, the Akamatsu faced constant pressure from the Amago clan of Izumo Province.
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Takamatsu Castle
Takamatsu Castle was founded by Ikoma Chikamasa (1526–1603), who was appointed ruler of Takamatsu by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1587. The following year, Chikamasa began construction of the castle on the coast of the Inland Sea (Setonaikai), completing it by 1590.
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Sawayama Castle
During the Kamakura period, Sabo Tokitsuna, the sixth son of Sasaki Sadatsuna, built a fort on Mount Sawayama. This fort occupied a strategically important position because it allowed control over traffic along the important Tōsandō route, which was later known as Nakasendō. This road connected the capital, Kyoto, with the eastern regions of the country. Due to its location, the fortification held great military importance, and during periods of civil war it repeatedly became the site of fierce battles.
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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.
