Matsumoto Castle

Japanese: 松本城 - まつもとじょう

Hirajiro ( flat castle) was located in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture. It is a nationally designated historic site. It is one of the "100 Great Castles in Japan" selected by the Japan Castle Foundation. The castle tower and other structures are also designated as national treasures. Matsumoto Castle was originally called Fukashi Castle. It was built as a subsidiary castle of Hayashi Castle, the residence of the Ogasawara clan (Fuchu Ogasawara clan), the guardian of Shinano Province during the Sengoku period. However, Takeda Harunobu (Takeda Shingen), who invaded Shinano and destroyed the Ogasawara clan, took Fukashi Castle instead of Hayashi Castle as the base for managing Matsumoto Plain, and abandoned Hayashi Castle to build Fukashi Castle. When the Takeda clan was destroyed in 1582 (Tensho 10), Ogasawara Sadayoshi, a vassal of Tokugawa Ieyasu, regained his former territory and entered Fukashi Castle. At that time, the castle's name was changed to Matsumoto Castle. However, after the downfall of the Odawara Hojo clan in 1590 (Tensho 18), Sadayoshi was transferred to Koga in Shimousa Province (Koga City, Ibaraki Prefecture) when Ieyasu transferred the former Hojo clan territory to the Kanto region, and Ishikawa Kazumasa, who had been a senior vassal of Ieyasu and then became a vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, moved into Matsumoto Castle. It was Kazumasa and his son Yasunaga who developed the castle grounds and castle town, including the main tower, as they remain today. There are several theories about the year the main tower was built, including 1591 (Tensho 19), 1593 (Bunroku 3), 1597 (Keicho 2), 1600-1601 (Keicho 5-6), and 1615 (Keicho 20), but no conclusion has been reached to date. After that, the lord of the castle, Ishikawa Yasunaga, was stripped of his title for his involvement in the Okubo Nagayasu Incident in 1613 (Keicho 18), and the Ogasawara clan returned to the castle as lord for a short period of time. Furthermore, after the Summer Siege of Osaka in 1615 (Genwa 1), Matsudaira Yasunaga and the Mizuno clan served as the castle's lords, and then Matsudaira Yasunaga entered the castle again. From then on, the Toda Matsudaira clan, whose ancestor Yasunaga was the lord of the castle, served as the castle's lord for generations until the Meiji Restoration. During this time, the Honmaru Palace burned down in 1727 (Kyoho 12), and it is said that successive feudal lords thereafter conducted their work in the Ninomaru. After the castle was abandoned, the castle tower was auctioned in 1872 (Meiji 5) and was in danger of being demolished, but was bought back by influential local people and escaped the disaster. The castle tower had deteriorated to the point of leaning, but local volunteers carried out the "Great Meiji Renovation." In 1930 (Showa 5), it was designated as a national historic site, and in 1936 ( Showa 11), the castle tower, Inui small castle tower, Watariyagura, Tatsumitsuke tower, and Tsukimi tower were designated as national treasures under the National Treasure Preservation Law. Furthermore, in 1952 (Showa 27) after the war, these five buildings were designated as national treasures again under the Cultural Properties Protection Law, and they remain to this day. Matsumoto Castle is one of the few castles with a castle tower that has retained its original form from the time of its construction before the Edo period. There are only 12 such castles, including Matsumoto Castle (14 if you include castles with towers that are not officially castle towers). In addition, the Chikuma Prefectural Office was located in Ninomaru during the Meiji period, and the prefectural office building later burned down, but the gold storehouse, which escaped the fire, still exists, and the Taikomon Gate was restored in 1999 (Heisei 11). In addition, the Otemon Gate, Ninomon Gate, and Minamimon Gate have been relocated to the city and still remain. It is about a 20-minute walk from Matsumoto Station on the JR Shinonoi Line, Oito Line, and Matsumoto Electric Railway Kamikochi Line. It is about a 7-minute walk from Kita-Matsumoto Station on the JR Oito Line. ◇It is also known as the Crow Castle.

Source: Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles Information

Japanese:

長野県松本市にあった平城(ひらじろ)。国指定史跡。日本城郭協会選定による「日本100名城」の一つ。また、天守をはじめとする建造物が国宝に指定されている。松本城はもともと深志城と呼ばれていた。戦国時代の信濃国守護の小笠原氏（府中小笠原氏）の居城の林城の支城としてつくられたが、信濃に侵攻し小笠原氏を滅ぼした武田晴信（武田信玄）は、松本平経営の拠点として林城ではなく深志城を取り立て、林城を廃城として深志城を整備した。1582年（天正10）に武田氏が滅亡すると、徳川家康に臣従していた小笠原貞慶が旧領を回復して深志城に入城。このとき城名を松本城に改めた。しかし、1590年（天正18）の小田原北条氏滅亡後、家康の旧北条氏領の関東への国替えに伴い、貞慶は下総国古河（茨城県古河市）に移封となり、松本城には、家康の重臣から豊臣秀吉の家臣になった石川数正が入城した。現在残されているような天守をはじめとする城郭や城下町の整備を行ったのは数正とその子康長である。大天守の建造年については1591年（天正19）、1593年（文禄3）、1597年（慶長2）、1600～1601年（慶長5～6）、1615年（慶長20）説が提起され、現在のところ、決着はついていない。その後、城主の石川康長が1613年（慶長18）に大久保長安事件に連座して改易となった後、短期間だが小笠原氏が城主として復帰。さらに、1615年（元和1）の大坂夏の陣以降に松平康長、水野氏が城主をつとめたのち、再び松平康長が入城、以降、康長を始祖とする戸田松平氏が代々城主をつとめて明治維新を迎えた。この間、1727年（享保12）に本丸御殿が焼失、以後の代々の藩主は二の丸で執務をとったといわれる。また、廃城後の1872年（明治5）には天守が競売にかけられ解体の危機に陥ったが、地元有力者らに買い戻され難を逃れた。また、天守が傾くほど老朽化が進んだが、地元有志により「明治の大改修」が行われた。1930年（昭和5）には国の史跡に指定され、1936 年（昭和11）には天守・乾小天守・渡櫓(わたりやぐら)・辰巳附櫓・月見櫓の5棟が「国宝保存法」により国宝に指定された。さらに戦後の1952年（昭和27）には、これら5棟は「文化財保護法」によりあらためて国宝指定を受けて現存している。なお、松本城は、江戸時代以前の建造当時の姿をとどめている天守を持つ数少ない城の一つである。こうした城は、松本城を含め12城に過ぎない（正式には天守ではない櫓を持つ城を含めれば14城）。このほか、明治時代に二の丸に筑摩県庁がおかれて、その後県庁舎は火災にあったが、この火災で類焼を免れた御金蔵が現存するほか、1999年（平成11）には太鼓門が復元された。また、大手門二の門、南門が市内に移築されて現存している。JR篠ノ井線・大糸線、松本電鉄上高地線松本駅から徒歩約20分。JR大糸線北松本駅から徒歩約7分。◇烏城とも通称される。

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