Matsue Castle
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Attractions > Osaka > Japanese Castles > Umeda
About | Access | Hotels & Lodging | Hours & Fees
Matsue Caslte by Tina Ivano (CC BY 2.0) on SnapJapan.com
About
Matsue Castle, in Matsue city in western Japan on the coast of the Sea of Japan, is one of the 12 original castles remaining in Japan. It actually never saw any battles because it was built after the last great feudal war in Japan at the very beginning of the Edo Era. The Daimyo Horio Yoshiharu was awarded the lands around Izumo for his help at the Battle of Sekigahara and he built this castle there.
Matsue castle completed construction in 1611 and was the "Prize" castle of Horio Yoshiharu after he received lands around Izumo for his participation in the Battle of Sekigahara. His family ruled this area for 3 generations until the castle passed to one of Tokugawa Ieyasu's gradsons, Matsudaira Naomasa. The Matsudaira's ruled for 234 years until the Meiji Period when the castle was ordered to be dismantled. Fortunately "Interest groups" fought the dismantling and although most of the buildings were destroyed, the main castle tower itself was allowed to remain.
The castle is pretty awesome and "battle ready" with moats, many walls and a black main castle. The people in Matsue and the staff that run the castle are extremely proud of the castle and will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Many foreign tourists who visit this castle are "blown away" by it's presence. The grounds are also very beautiful, there is a boat trip around the moat and the there is a museum with lots of armor and weapons. Lafcadio Hearn lived in a house on the north side of the castle. Lafcadio Hearn was an international writer, known best for his books about Japan, especially his collections of Japanese legends and ghost stories.
Only only negative thing that can be said about Matsue Castle is that although it is a magnificent and old structure, it has a pretty boring history. Over a period of 10 generations the Matsudaira Clan reigned over the area during a pretty peaceful and non-eventful period in Japan's history.
Please visit our Japanese Castles page to find more castles in Japan.
Data
Name: Matsue Castle 松江城 (Matsue Jyou)
Original Year Built: 1611
Type: Hilltop 丘城
Class: Medium Sized Castle
Condition: Original
Founder: Horio Yoshiharu (Daimyo)
Timeline
1611 - Castle built by Horio Yoshiharu.
1871 - After the Meiji Restoration, the castle was abondoned.
1875 - As per the Emperor's orders, all buildings except the Tenshu (Main Tower) were torn down.
1955 - The Teshu was dismantled and a full restoration of the main tower began.
1960 - Restoration of the Tenshu was completed.
1994-now - Several other building have been restored.
Access
Closest Train Station: Matsue
1-5 Tonomachi Matsue
Shimane 690-0887 Japan
Tel: 852-21-4030
From Matsue station (San In Line), take the Lakeline bus 10min. or a short taxi ride.
Details: To get to Matsue Castle, buy the one day pass for the Matsue Lake Line Bus. It is a tourist mini-bus painted in red with wooden paneling inside. You can't miss it. There is a bus stop for it outside Matsue JR Station. The one day pass cost 500yen and departure is every 20 minutes or so.
Hotels & Lodging
Recommended
View a full list of Hotels and Lodging in or nearby Matsue Castle.
Hours & Fees
Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Last entry at 4:30 p.m.
Information presented is based on the time it was created. There may be changes since publication. Please confirm information by visiting the Official Website before visiting.
Resources
Website: Matsue Castle Homepage
