Matsue Castle
Matsue Castle | |
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松江城 | |
Site history | |
Built | 1607–1611 |
Built by | Horio Yoshiharu |
Matsue Castle (松江城, Matsue-jō) is a
Matsue Castle was constructed from 1607 to 1611 by
Matsue Castle is one of few remaining feudal Japanese castles that retains its main keep in its original wooden form and not a modern
History
Of the 100+ castles remaining in Japan, Matsue Castle is the only one with a surviving main keep in the San'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 the Izumo region, Horio Yoshiharu, and was completed in 1611.
After the reigns of Horio Tadaharu and Kyōgoku Tadataka, Matsudaira Naomasa, a grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, became Lord of the castle, after being transferred from Matsumoto in Shinano 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.
Matsue Castle has been registered as a
Gallery
References
- ^ "About Matsue Castle - Shimane Travel Guide | Planetyze". Planetyze. Retrieved 2018-02-13.
- ^ https://www.japanese-castle-explorer.com/castle_profile.html?name=Matsue
- ^ http://tabijikan.com/article/17201/ | Matsue Castle - finally designed as a Japan's national treasure in 2015 | Retrieved 17 Jan 2017.
Literature
- Benesch, Oleg and Ran Zwigenberg (2019). Japan's Castles: Citadels of Modernity in War and Peace. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 374. ISBN 9781108481946.
- De Lange, William (2021). An Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles. Groningen: Toyo Press. pp. 600 pages. ISBN 978-9492722300.
- Schmorleitz, Morton S. (1974). Castles in Japan. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Co. ISBN 0-8048-1102-4.
- Motoo, Hinago (1986). Japanese Castles. Tokyo: Kodansha. p. 200 pages. ISBN 0-87011-766-1.
- Mitchelhill, Jennifer (2013). Castles of the Samurai:Power & Beauty. USA: Kodansha. ISBN 978-1568365121.
External links
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