After getting off at Matsumoto-station we walked through the city to Matsumoto castle. Matsumoto proved an interesting walk, a nice atmospheric city, with some traditional streets and temples. At the outskirts of the city you can see the mountains surrounding Matsumoto, giving beautiful views.
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| Street with temple in Matsumoto |
Matsumoto's biggest attraction is its historical castle; one of Japan's most complete and beautiful original castles. The castle, build in the 16th century, maintains its original wooden interiors and external stonework. The story goes that this preservation is owing to the protection of the Goddess of Nijuroku-yashin. "
On the night of January 26, 1618, in a vision, one of the young vassals
on duty saw a woman dressed in beautiful clothes. Handing him a brocade
bag, she said “if the lord of the castle enshrines me with 600kg of rice
on the 26th night of every month, I will protect the castle from fire
and enemy.” It is believed that because the bag was deified the castle
was preserved and has survived to be the oldest castle in its original
form" The shrine dedicated to the Goddess is still viewable through the ceiling. The castle has indeed been protected, being one of the few perfectly preserved castles in Japan!
A visit to the castle makes for a very impressive experience. The outside of the castle, of beautiful black and white shades, makes for a very picturesque scenery: located next to the water and with the mountains surrounding Matsumoto on the background. Not surprisingly, it is a very popular photo-spot with both Japanese and foreign tourist lining up to make the most beautiful picture of the castle.
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| Matsumoto Castle |
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| Matsumoto Castle seen from the castle's garden |
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| Matsumoto Castle by the water surrounding the castle's grounds |
The fully preserved interior is fully accessible to the public. It not only shows perfectly how the inside looks, but also how cold is it inside!
The castle was build to be defended from attacks, leaving special walkways, shooting holes, and a secret floor for ammunition and food storage that could not been seen from the outside. (it looks as though the castle only has five floors, while in fact there are six)
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| Samurai floor: designed so the warriors could easily run through in full armour in time of attack |
In order to walk through the castle the visitors have to use to traditional staircases. Very narrow, and with some very steep steps, these make for an adventurous route. (giving the real castle-experience)
After that we headed back to the station to continue our journey ...
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