| Matsue Castle | |
|---|---|
松江城 | |
| Matsue,Shimane Prefecture,Japan | |
 Thekeep of Matsue Castle in 2008 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Japanese castle |
| Controlled by | Horio clan (1611–1633) Kyōgoku clan (1633–1637) Matsudaira clan (1637–1927) City of Matsue (1927–present) |
| Location | |
  Matsue Castle  Matsue Castle | |
| Coordinates | 35°28′30″N133°03′02″E / 35.474977°N 133.050556°E /35.474977; 133.050556 |
| Height | 30metres |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1607–1611; 414 years ago (1611) |
| Built by | Horio Yoshiharu |
Matsue Castle (松江城,Matsue-jō) is aJapanese castle located inMatsue,Shimane Prefecture.
Matsue Castle was constructed from 1607 to 1611 byHorio Yoshiharu, the firstdaimyō of theMatsue Domain, during the earlyEdo period. Ownership was passed to theIzumo branch of theKyōgoku in 1633 and then theMatsudaira, a junior branch of the rulingTokugawa clan, in 1637. The Matsudaira donated Matsue Castle to the city of Matsue in 1927.
Matsue Castle is one of few remaining feudal Japanese castles that retains its main keep in its original wooden form and not a modernconcrete reconstruction. Built after the last great war offeudal Japan, the keep has survivedearthquakes, fires, wars and other causes that destroyed or damaged many Japanese castles. However, a number of its castle buildings were demolished during the earlyMeiji period, leaving only thekeep, an attachedturret and stone walls existing as original structures today, though some of the other castle buildings have been reconstructed in modern times. Matsue Castle, standing on the shores ofLake Shinji, is one of Japan's Three Great Lake Castles and the heart of Matsue's central riverside district.[1]
Of the 100+ castles remaining in Japan, Matsue Castle is the only one with a surviving main keep in theSan'in region. This keep is the second largest, the third tallest (30m) and the sixth oldest amongst Japanese castles. It was built over a period of 5 years by the daimyō of theIzumo region,Horio Yoshiharu, and was completed in 1611.
After the reigns ofHorio Tadaharu andKyōgoku Tadataka,Matsudaira Naomasa, a grandson ofTokugawa Ieyasu, became Lord of the castle, after being transferred fromMatsumoto inShinano Province, and thus began a reign that lasted 10 generations of the Matsudaira clan over a period of 234 years.
In 1875, all of the buildings within the castle were dismantled, with the exception of the castle tower itself and attached turret, which were allowed to remain due to pressure from interest groups. These buildings underwent a complete reconstruction between 1950 and 1955. In 2001, several of the castle's former turrets were reconstructed.[2]
The keep is a complex structure, built in a watchtower-style, that appears to be five stories from the outside, but has, in fact, six levels inside. Most of the walls of the keep are painted black. It is a strong structure, built to withstand warfare, yet at the same time, it is majestic and solemn, reminiscent of the Momoyama style.
The tenshu and attached turret of Matsue Castle have been registered as anational treasure of Japan since July 9, 2015.[3]
100 Fine Castles of Japan by region | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido | .svg) | |
| Tōhoku | ||
| Kantō | ||
| Chūbu | ||
| Kansai | ||
| Chūgoku | ||
| Shikoku | ||
| Kyūshūa | ||
a includingOkinawa. | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People |
|
