Matsumoto Castle

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Matsumoto Castle

The Matsumoto Castle (Japanese松本 城, Matsumoto - jo ) is a Japanese castle. It is located in Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture. The easy accessibility from Tokyo makes it a popular tourist destination within Japan.

The castle is because of the black color and the " spread wings" also sometimes crow Castle (乌 城, karasujō ) called. It is a good example of a lowland castle, as it was not built on a mountain.

History

The origins of the castle go back to the Sengoku period (time of the Warring States ). At the time of the Ogasawara clan built a fort called Fukashi - jo (深 志 城) in the field. Later it came under the rule of Takeda Shingen and finally Tokugawa Ieyasu.

When Toyotomi Hideyoshi transferred Ieyasu to the Kantō region, was Ishikawa Norimasa his successor in Matsumoto. Norimasa and his son Yasunagana expanded in the following years the fortress into a castle and built the tower and other parts of today's system.

1872, after the Meiji Restoration, the main building was sold at auction and was spared only through the cooperation of residents from Matsumoto before disassembly.

As one of the few remaining original castles it is part of the official national treasure of Japan.