Matsumoto-Jo

Location

Matsumoto city, Nagano prefecture

Also Known As

Images

[Image] Original Jpeg:
645x925x16.7M
98.9K		 by Takashi Toyooka (E-mail) (WWW)
My number one favourite, with its characteristic bridge crossing the moat, lending the picture a great splash of colour.
[Image] Original Jpeg:
944x670x16.7M
79.1K		 by Takashi Toyooka (E-mail) (WWW)
The front of the castle, taken from the inner courtyard.
[Image] Original Jpeg:
526x361x16.7M
22.5K		 by Jonathan Jones (E-mail)

Data

Castle Building

Construct     Height     Width     Depth
Tenshu (main castle)   29.7 m   15.1 m   17.2 m
Sho-Tenshu (sub-castle)   17.1 m   7.8 m   9.1 m

All measurements are very approximate; accuracy may be incorrect by up to plus or minus one or two metres.

The "sub-castle" refers to the smaller building that adjoins the main castle; it can be seen in the foreground in the photograph.

- by Takashi Toyooka (E-mail)

Comments

This is my favourite castle. I love the shape of it. It stands very tall -- it is more slender than most castles. Also, it has two smaller buildings that join directly to the main tenshu. The way the tenshu seems to be comfortably nestled within the embrace of the two smaller buildings, gives the whole structure a very confident, pleasing appearance.

I also like its colours; it is not all-white, like Himeji-Jo, but not all-black, like Okayama-Jo. It has a bit of both, and it looks very balanced to me. I like the beautiful bridge that crosses the moat behind it, and I like the fact that it is given some respectful space around it. All round, it looks the best, in my opinion.

- by Takashi Toyooka (E-mail)