Matsumoto Castle and Its Stone Walls - From the Sengoku Era to Edo, and the Story of Preservation
Introduction
Matsumoto Castle is one of Japan’s “Five National Treasure Castles” and is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful of the twelve surviving original keeps. The jet-black main tower reflected in the moat has earned it the nickname Karasu-jō (“Crow Castle”), captivating visitors through every season.
Yet the castle’s silhouette is only possible because of what supports it: stone walls built and rebuilt by generations of stonemasons. These stones are not mere building materials — they function like a history book carved in stone, preserving the realities of conflict, power, and preservation across centuries.
I visited Matsumoto Castle on November 2, 2016 (JST) and examined the stonework on site. This article reflects those observations, aligned with publicly available historical references.
Beginnings in the Sengoku Era — Nozura-zumi
The predecessor of Matsumoto Castle was a fortress known as Fukashi-jō. The Shinano region, shaped by rivers and mountains, was a strategic crossroads and therefore contested by rival warlords. During the Sengoku era, as the Takeda and Ogasawara clans fought for control, the fortress was strengthened and its earliest stone walls were built.
The earliest method is widely described as nozura-zumi — fieldstone piling that uses unshaped natural stones stacked with minimal cutting. Stability comes from friction, gravity, and careful interlocking of irregular forms. The result is rugged, practical, and unexpectedly beautiful.
This rough Sengoku approach later evolved into more refined Edo-period techniques, allowing visitors today to see “time layered in stone.”
The Honnō-ji Incident and the Start of Construction
In 1582, the Honnō-ji Incident erupted when Akechi Mitsuhide turned on Oda Nobunaga. The shock reshaped power across central Japan, and Shinano’s defensive network also shifted.
After Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s campaign against the Hōjō clan concluded in 1590, Ishikawa Kazumasa was transferred from Mikawa to Matsumoto. Under his administration, the project to transform Fukashi Castle into what we now call Matsumoto Castle began in earnest.
Completion of the Keep Complex
By 1593–1594, the main keep (five stories above ground with six interior floors), the Inui small tower, and connecting corridors were completed. Remarkably, these core structures survived in original form, making Matsumoto Castle one of the rare sites where a late Sengoku-period keep complex can be experienced as an intact system.
Evolution of the Stone Walls — From Nozura-zumi to Uchikomi-hagi
Matsumoto Castle’s stone walls reveal multiple stages of Japanese masonry. Alongside early nozura-zumi, later sections reflect uchikomi-hagi — stones roughly shaped and then fitted so their outward faces appear flatter and more uniform.
Uchikomi-hagi walls tend to be sturdier and visually orderly. Many also incorporate subtle curvature (sori) that makes the wall harder to climb while creating an imposing profile. At Matsumoto, the coexistence of rough and refined styles offers a rare chance to observe the evolution of stone technology in one place.
Crisis in the Meiji Era — Abolition and Preservation
In 1873, Japan’s modern government promoted the dismantling of castles as remnants of the feudal era. Across the country, many keeps were sold, stripped, or demolished. Matsumoto Castle also faced auction and potential destruction.
Local citizens, led by Ichikawa Ryōzō, raised funds and repurchased the keep, preventing demolition. Because of that decision, the stone walls remain today as silent witnesses to a preservation miracle.
National Treasure Designation and Stone Heritage Today
After surviving the Meiji era crisis, the castle endured cycles of decay and restoration. In 1936, it was designated a National Treasure, and in 1952 it was reaffirmed under the postwar cultural property framework. It remains a National Treasure today.
Visitors can experience the contrast of stone wall styles, the original late-16th-century keep, and steep staircases that embody Sengoku defensive logic. Matsumoto Castle is not only a monument — it is a living classroom of Japanese history, architecture, and stone craftsmanship.
Conclusion
Matsumoto Castle’s stone walls and keep complex are, in a literal sense, history preserved in stone. Construction began after 1590 under Ishikawa Kazumasa and reached a key completion phase in 1593–1594. More than four centuries later, the walls still communicate the shift from Sengoku urgency to Edo refinement — and the later civic resolve that saved the castle from demolition.
