, formerly known as Kaizu Castle (海津城, ''Kaizu-jō''), is a

Japanese castle are fortresses constructed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century. Castles in Japan were built to guard important or strategic sites, such ...

located in former Matsushiro town, now part of The site is a registered National Historic Site of Japan.

Situation

Matsushiro Castle is located in the flatlands of northern Shinano, in-between the main stream of the

Chikuma River The , known as the in its upper reaches, is the longest and widest river in Japan and the third largest by basin area (behind the Tone River and Ishikari River). It is located in northeastern Honshu, rising in the Japanese Alps and flowing g ...

and a former bed of the river, which serves as a broad outer moat on the north side of the castle. Due to its location, the castle (and surrounding

castle town A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe. Some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, ...

) was subjected to occasional flooding. The design of the castle is concentric, with the Central Bailey (''Hon-Maru'') protected by walls, and containing the ''

tenshu is an architectural typology found in Japanese castle complexes. They are easily identifiable as the highest tower within the castle. Common translations of ''tenshu'' include keep, main keep, or ''donjon''. ''Tenshu'' are characterized as ty ...

'' in its northwest corner, which was later replaced by a ''

yagura Yagura may refer to: * Yagura castle * Yagura opening * Yagura (tombs) * Yagura (tower) is the Japanese word for "tower", "turret", "keep", or "scaffold". The word is most often seen in reference to structures in Japanese castle compounds bu ...

''. The Central Bailey was surrounded by a moat, which was in turn surrounded completely by the Second Bailey (''Ni-no-Maru'') which had earthen ramparts except for areas around its gates, which were protected by stonework. The Second Bailey had a wide dry moat on its south and east, and the Third Bailey (''San-no-Maru'') The palace structures, or residence and official offices of the ''daimyō'', were located adjacent to the main fortifications in the ''Hana-no-Maru'' enclosure

History

The first castle on this site was built in 1560 by Yamamoto Kansuke, under the direction of

Takeda Shingen , of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period. Shingen was a warlord of great ...

and was called Kōsaka Danjō (

Kōsaka Masanobu also known as was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period. He was known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". He is often credited as the original author of ''Kōyō Gunkan'', which records the history of the Takeda ...

) a

Takeda clan The was a Japanese samurai clan active from the late Heian period until the late 16th century. The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present-day Yamanashi Prefecture. The clan reached its greatest influence under the rule of Taked ...

retainer, was its first commander.

used the castle for the ongoing conflict with

Uesugi Kenshin , later known as was a Japanese ''daimyō''. He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Known as ...

for control of the northern part of

Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...

. The site is also near the location of the

Battle of Kawanakajima The were a series of battles fought in the Sengoku period of Japan between Takeda Shingen of Kai Province and Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo Province from 1553 to 1564. Shingen and Kenshin contested each other for control of the plain of Kawanakaj ...

, where the Takeda and Uesugi forces repeatedly clashed After the fall of the Takeda clan,

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

eventually took control. However, when he was assassinated in the

Honnō-ji incident The was an attempt to assassinate Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga at the Honnō-ji temple in Kyoto on 21 June 1582, resulting in the suicide by '' seppuku'' of both Nobunaga and his son Oda Nobutada. The unprotected Nobunaga was ambushed by his ...

in 1582,

Uesugi Kagekatsu was a Japanese samurai ''daimyō'' during the Sengoku and Edo periods. He was the adopted son of Uesugi Kenshin and Uesugi Kagetora’s brother in law. Early life and rise Kagekatsu was the son of Nagao Masakage, the head of the Ueda Nagao c ...

recovered northern Shinano. During this time the castle was in dispute between Uesugi and the

Sanada clan The is a Japanese clan. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003).html" ;"title="DF 56 of 80">("Sanada," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 52 DF_56_of_80">("Sa_...

._Under_Toyotomi_Hideyoshi.html" ;"title="DF 56 of 80/nowiki>">DF 56 of 80">("Sa ...

Current site

Near the castle are a number of Edo period former

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

residences, the former

Matsushiro Literary and Military School The was the Han school of Matsushiro Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. It located in the Matsushiro neighborhood of the city of Nagano in the Chūbu region of Japan. Of the over 250 han schools which existed in Japan at the end of ...

and a museum dedicated to the

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. Matsushiro Castle was listed as one of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan by the Japan Castle Foundation in 2006.

Access

The site can be most easily accessed by Alpico bus from in front of Japan Railways Group">JR Nagano Station, Zenkoji Exit, bus stop #3. Get off at "Matsushiro-eki", a disused railway station, of the Nagano Electric Railway on the former Yashiro Line, and walk for 3 minutes.

Gallery

Literature

* * * * *Takada, Toru: Matsushiro-jo in: Miura, Masayuki (eds): Shiro to Jinya. Tokoku-hen. Gakken, 2006. , S. 128th *

External links

Matsushiro Castle

Japan Visitor Information

Notes

{{Authority control Castles in Nagano Prefecture Historic Sites of Japan 100 Fine Castles of Japan Sanada clan Nagano (city)