Matsue Castleーa treasury, a precious castle in Japan

Today, I would like to introduce...

Matsue Castle（Matsue-jo：松江城）

Matsue Castle was built in 1611,in Edo period. The Japanese castle was built as a defense and military base because of the constant warfare at that time.

It is now one of only 12 existing original castles nationwide and designated as a national treasure.

Site area:2nd out of 12 castles
Height：3rd out of 12 castles

*In addition to the existing castle towers (tenshu), there are restored tenshu, reconstructed tenshu, and imitation tenshu.

Matsue is the city on the northwest coast of Japan's main island. The nearest airport is Izumo airport or Yonago airport.

You can take a bus or a taxi from Matsue Station.

There are several routes to go to the castle keep(Tenshu)

I chose a orange path

Immediately after entering, there is a high stone wall, and you can see the castle tower on the hill.
There used to be one of the largest gates in Japan called Ote-mon to intercept the enemy.

Discover a shrine on the way up the stairs

I got to the castle tower. It has five internal floors.
The elegance of the castle’s swooping roofs and decor is often compared to the wings of a plover bird (‘chidori’), which has led to the castle’s nickname, Plover Castle (‘chidori-jo’).

Inside the castle, there is a museum.

Arrived at the top floor of the castle tower.
A 360-degree panorama "welcomes" us.

You can see a cityscape and the Lake Shinji

You can also see mountains
surrounding Matsue city

Go down the stairs.

It is thought that the entrance from the side of the stairs is for Kosho who obeys the feudal lord. The paths may have been clearly divided by the difference in class.

*Kosho is the name of a post in a samurai family similar to a page or squire