Matsuyama Castle

Matsuyama Castle at present	Matsuyama Castle in Meiji era

"The dungeon is higher than autumn sky in Matsuyama"(Shiki)

The profile of Matsuyama Castle

Matsuyama Castle was built by Yoshiakira Katoh, a samurai from Aichi Prefecture.
He joined Ieyasu Tokugawa's army in 1600 at the battle of Sekigahara and was awarded 200,000 koku for his brave fighting.
In 1602 he started the construction of Matsuyama Castle on Katsuyama Hill in the center of Dogo Plain. He moved into the castle the following year and town which surrounds the castle began to be called Matsuyama for the first time.
On New Year's Day of 1784 brought tragedy when the donjon was struck by lightning and burned down. Reconstruction did not begin until 1820 and was compl eted in 1854. The Castle suffered again during the Shouwa Era, when a small donj on and turrets were destroyed by arson and bombing during the World War II.
The Castle has been restored in wood to its original style by the city of Matsuyama in a scale down, three-story version.
Matsuyama Castle enjoys wide frame in Japan as one of the three large-scale multiple-wing Japanese castles built on a hill, the others being Himeji Castle and Wakayama Castle.
Various component parts of Matsuyama Castle have been officially designated by the Government as Important Cultural Properties.
A ropeway is available to the castle from the foot of Katsuyama Hill where is not far from Ehime University Library.
The dungeon is light up in the night every day and the trees by the moat are decolated by illuminations in the end of every year.

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