Matsumoto Castle

About

Matsumoto Castle (Matsumoto-jō), originally known as Fukashi Castle, is a castle in city of Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture. It is one of Japan's premier historic castles, along with Himeji and Kumamoto. It was the seat of Matsumoto Domain under the Edo Period Tokugawa shogunate. The keep (tenshukaku), which was completed in the late sixteenth century, maintains its original wooden interiors and external stonework. It is listed as a National Treasure of Japan, and is one of the twelve surviving tenshu in Japan. It is surrounded by four other buildings also designated as National Treasures. Matsumoto Castle is a flatland castle (hirajiro) because it is not built on a hilltop or amid rivers, but on a plain. Its complete defences would have included an extensive system of inter-connecting walls, moats, and gatehouses.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.