Matsumoto Castle as seen from the main courtyard. The small wing with the red railing on the far left is a moon viewing room. Matsumoto is one of only two castles in Japan to have one of these rooms.
Japan loves its castles. We’ve written about Japanese castles several times on this site, and it is unlikely that we will run out anytime soon. Every old feudal domain (called Han in old Japanese) capital city seems to have either rebuilt their old castle or turned the land where their castle used to be into a park. Even many of the old Sengoku (Warring States) era castles are now parks with occasional archeological digs and sometimes even small museums attached. For all the castles, however, only twelve are original structures from before the Meiji Restoration. Of those castles, only five are listed as National Treasures. One of those castles, in modern day Nagano prefecture, is Matsumoto Castle. The jet-black castle is an impressive structure, and the story of how it survived the turmoil of Japan’s past to be enjoyed through the present day is really captures the pride of those who lived in the old castle towns.
The interior of Matsumoto Castle. The interior of the castle is unaltered and displays the artifacts of daily life in the castle. The second floor has a fine collection of old firearms.
The origins of Matsumoto Castle go back to the Warring States era. The first fortifications were built from about 1504 to 1508 as Fukashi Castle. This castle was a small fort built to protect the approach to a pair of castles collectively called Hayashi Castle which was the headquarters for the local Ogasawara clan. But, as often happened in the Sengoku, the Ogasawara were defeated and Hayashi Castle was destroyed and the site was abandoned. Of course, that didn’t last long and in the 1580s, the area was re-captured by the Ogasawara and Fukashi Castle was renamed Matsumoto and expanded. It is at about this time that the current keep was built. In the Edo period, the domains and families were shuffled around and, in all six different clans controlled the castle during the roughly 250 years of peacetime that the Edo period brought with it. Finally, in 1868, the Edo period came to an end, taking the ancient Japanese feudal system with it. That is where the history of Matsumoto castle becomes interesting.
The inner courtyard of Matsumoto Castle as seen from the keep windows. You can see the outline of the original ninomaru, or palace, set into the grass. The ninomaru burned down in 1727 but left the main keep undamaged.
During the Edo period, there were about 200 Daimyo with their own domains. Each of these domains was allowed one main castle with a keep and palace. Of all of these keeps, only twelve still exist today as original structures. A few, like Nagoya and Hiroshima, were destroyed in the war, but the majority of them were either destroyed by the civil wars that accompanied the Meiji Restoration or were torn down soon after the restoration. After a group of disgruntled former samurai revolted against the government in the Satsuma rebellion of 1877, the Meiji government started to see the castles as potential rallying places for disaffected samurai. Furthermore, to convince all of the daimyo to step aside peacefully during the restoration, the government in Tokyo agreed to take on all of their debts. As a result, the central government was quite broke and had now inherited all of these castles, and the lands they were on, from the departing feudal lords. So it was decided that, with a few exceptions, the castles would be auctioned off under the condition that the land be repurposed. This would serve to both generate income and hopefully remove the potential threat of revolt. This is why so few of the castles remain in their original form. Many were torn down and the materials sold off or used for other construction projects. Some were sold and torn down with the intention of being replaced by factories or houses. In a handful of cases, however, fate intervened and the castle keeps were spared. Matsumoto was lucky enough to be one of these rare cases.
Reenactors fire 400 year old matchlock arquebuses. Yes, they are real. And yes, they were loud.
In 1872, word reached the city of Matsumoto that their castle was scheduled to be sold and torn down. The people of the city were shocked and horrified by the thought of losing their castle. They were proud of their status as a castle town. To them, it was like being a provincial or state capital and the government deciding to tear down your beautiful old capital building. This just wouldn’t do. So, a group of townsfolk led by a prominent local merchant named Ichikawa Ryozo started to rent the main hall of the castle for events and exhibitions. As a result, the castle was making money from the rents and wasn’t worth tearing down right away and the preservation organization led by Ryozo raised money to put toward saving the keep permanently. After about five years, they raised enough money to buy the castle outright and turned it over to the city government. Sadly, the government didn’t have the means to maintain the keep and by the turn of the century, the castle was empty and leaning to one side from the years of neglect. Once again, the call went out for the people of Matsumoto city to unite and save their castle once more. This time, the effort was led by a local middle school principle named Unari Kobayashi and enough money was raised for a full restoration that ended in 1913. During World War II, the castle was used as an aircraft factory by the Mitsubishi Corporation, but it somehow survived the war undamaged. Post war, the castle underwent preservation again in the 1950s, was designated as a national treasure, and opened to the public as a museum, which it still is.
Matsumoto Castle keep as seen from across the moat. The castle looks like it has five levels, but it really has six. There is another floor with no outward windows designed to confuse any would-be attackers. The black color is why the castle has the name Karasu-jo, or Crow Castle.
Matsumoto Castle is an incredible place to visit. Walking through the old halls of the main keep makes you feel like you’ve fallen back in time to the days of the samurai. The castle grounds are beautifully maintained, though the ninomaru-goten, or palace enclosure was closed and blocked off for what looked like either archeological work or possibly in preparation for rebuilding the old palace. The original palace in the main enclosure burned down in the mid Edo period (1727), though the building’s footprint can still be seen in the modern lawn. There is also a city museum near the entrance to the castle park. Overall, Matsumoto castle is a must visit for anyone who is interested in Japanese history or architecture. Even if you are just a casual observer of Japanese culture it is worth checking out. It is an easy over-night trip from Tokyo and an hour from Nagano via the express train. Matsumoto Castle is definitely worth the trip.
Note: Some sites, including Matsumoto’s official site claim that Matsumoto Castle is the oldest in Japan. However, Inuyama Castle and Matsue Castle also claim to be the oldest. Since each has compelling arguments for their viewpoint, and since I have no opinion on the matter, I’ve decided to remain neutral and not mention it in my article.