Matsumoto Castle , originally known as Fukashi Castle, 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. It is located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture.
The keep
Matsumoto Castle in winter
The keep, leaning, prior to 1904
The Tenshu and Inui Kotenshu
Japanese castles 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 as ports, river crossings, or crossroads, and almost always incorporated the landscape into their defenses.
Himeji Castle, a World Heritage Site in Hyōgo Prefecture, is the most visited castle in Japan.
Tsuyama Castle was a typical hilltop castle.
The reconstructed western gate of Ki castle
A image of the Katsurayama Castle, destroyed during the Siege of Katsurayama in March 1557