is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

located in Matsumae,

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

, Japan, and is the northernmost castle in Japan. The only traditional style

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

castle in Hokkaidō, it was the chief residence of the '' han'' (estate) of the

Matsumae clan The was a Japanese aristocratic family who were daimyo of Matsumae Domain, in present-day Matsumae, Hokkaidō, from the Azuchi–Momoyama period until the Meiji Restoration. They were given the domain as a march fief in 1590 by Toyotomi ...

History

First built in 1606 by ''daimyo'' Matsumae Yoshihiro under orders from the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

, which required his clan to defend the area, and by extension the whole of Japan, from the Ainu "barbarians" to the north. It burned down in 1637 but was rebuilt in 1639. It once controlled all passage through Hokkaidō to the rest of Japan. The present castle complex, which dates from 1854, was constructed to deter attacks by foreign naval forces. Only the 30-metre-high ''

tenshu is an architectural typology found in Japanese castle, Japanese castle complexes. They are easily identifiable as the highest tower within the castle. Common translations of ''tenshu'' include keep, main keep, or ''donjon''. ''Tenshu'' are cha ...

'' (main tower) and a gatehouse survived destruction following the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, which began in 1868. However, the ''tenshu'' burned down in 1949 and a concrete replica was built in 1960. Today, the castle site is now a public park.

Festivals

Approximately 8,000 cherry trees are planted in Matsumae Park, which is approximately 150,000 m² around the site of Matsumae Castle. More than 200,000 people visit the Matsumae Sakura Festival every spring to see cherry blossoms. Since 1984, the "Matsumae Castle Age Festival" has been held in August.

References

External links

Official website
Japanese) {{Authority control Castles in Hokkaido Matsumae clan Matsumae, Hokkaido Hokkaido Heritage

History

Festivals

See also

References

Further reading

External links