Matsumoto Castle, originally known as Fukashi Castle is one of Japan’s greatest castles and is listed as a National Treasure. The distinct black and white colors of the castle along with the red bridge, large moat, and stunning backdrop of the Japanese Alps, makes Matsumoto one of the most beautiful castles in Japan. A visit to Matsumoto Castle is a must when visiting Japan!
Matsumoto Castle’s history dates back to the Eisho era between 1504 and 1520. During this era, a small border post was at this location, named Fukashi Castle. After years of Civil War, in 1550, Fukashi Castle was taken over by the Takeda Clan.
The castle was later seized by Sadayoshi Ogasawara. Lord Ogasawara renamed the castle from Fukashi Castle to Matsumoto Castle.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi who was a Samurai and Daimyo (feudal lord) at the time, completed a conquest of Odawara and allocated the Kanto region (geographical area of Japan) to Ieyasu Tokugawa and appointed Ishikawa Kazumasa as the new lord of Matsumoto Castle. Kazumasa and his son, Yasunaga maintained the castle and surrounding town. Yasunaga was in charge of building the tenshu (highest tower), residences, castle gates, moat, and trenches. The construction of the castle as seen today was potentially completed in the years 1593 to 1594.
Matsumoto Castle was built for war purposes and was never meant to be built for residential purposes, so there are no real accommodations within the castle.
Several clans moved in and out of the castle for years up until the Meiji Restoration era in 1868. During the Meiji Restoration the government ordered feudal fortifications to be demolished, this included Matsumoto Castle. When the news spread around town that the government had plans to remove the tenshu, a man named Ichikawa Ryozo and many other residents from the city campaigned against the destruction of the castle. The campaign worked and the government decided not to demolish Matsumoto Castle. Because of this, Matsumoto Castle is considered one of the 12 Original Castles of Japan.
Matsumoto Castle Today
Matsumoto Castle is the highlight of visiting the mountain city of Matsumoto. Honestly, there was not a whole lot else in Matsumoto besides visiting the castle.
Visitors can walk the park outside the castle grounds. From here you get incredible views of the castle and moat. The park can be accessed 24/7. I recommend viewing the castle from the park both during the day and at night. Below are two photos I took from the park while on our visit to Matsumoto Castle.
During opening hours, visitors can tour the castle grounds and castle itself by accessing the entrance at the Kuromon Gate. We came early in the morning shortly after opening and there were already several people already within the castle walls.
Right away, once we entered the castle grounds, there was a fun statue of Arupi-Chan (Matsumoto’s Mascot) with stunning views of Matsumoto Castle in the background. For obvious reasons both Jill and I had to take a photo with Arupi-Chan.
Visitors like us are able to access the interior of Matsumoto Castle. Remember, like most other castles in Japan and many other places, shoes are to be taken off prior to entering. Plastic Bags or Lockers will usually be provided to place the shoes in. Sounds odd, but it is a great way to preserve the wood plus the old wooden boards feel so good on the feet.
We walked to the uppermost floor on the Tenshu, there were 6 floors in total. The 6th floor was used as a watchtower during battle. The windows at the top were open, you get a beautiful 360° view of Matsumoto City.
After visiting the 6th floor, we made our way down to the other floors. There was nothing really to see, most rooms are open and made of solid wood. The bottom floors do have original Ishiotoshi or stone drop areas. The Ishiotoshi were used to throw rocks down the tower preventing enemies from scaling the walls. There were also yazama or openings for archers and teppozama which are opening in the walls to place a firearm.
One room I’ve never seen before was the Tsukimi-yagura or moon observatory room. This room was open on three sides providing an open feel to the room. Below are a couple photos, one is what the interior of the floors look like and the second photo is from the inside of the Tsukimi-yagura.
After a visit to the inside of Matsumoto Castle, don’t forget to walk around the rest of the castle grounds. We walked the entire moat afterwards which I am glad we did otherwise we would have missed seeing the iconic red bridge.
Admission and Hours
The photo above was taken at Matsumoto Castle. Below are the admission fees and hours for visitors to visit Matsumoto Castle.
Admission
Adults ¥700, Children ¥300
There are different rates for larger groups, refer to the image above.
Hours
The park outside the castle can be accessed 24/7. To access the castle grounds and tour Matsumoto Castle the opening hours are from 8:30 am until 4:30 pm.
Matsumoto Castle is closed on December 29 until January 3.
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Plan Your Trip:
Booking Accommodations
For booking recommendations on the best deals and locations, check out Agoda or Booking.com
Activities and Tours
Find fun activities and things to do through Tripadvisor. If you are looking for tours and day trips, Viator has a lot of great options.
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Comments (5)
Great blog! I love how clean, clear and detailed your site is – so easy to navigate and read. And what an awesome castle!
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoy it. Matsumoto Castle is impressive, one of my favorites!
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