Feeling like a samurai at Matsumoto Castle, the black crow castle

When we asked Rafe and Odessa what came to mind when they thought of Japan, sushi, ninjas, Pokémon and samurai were the quick answers.

Matsumoto Castle, known as the Black Crow Castle due to its black exterior and wing like roof which instilled fear in potential attackers is the oldest surviving castle tower in Japan. It is also one of the best preserved with the original stonework and wooden interiors. The wooden castles of Japan have a habit of being burnt down and/or destroyed by earthquakes. Consequently, it is designated as one of Japan’s National Treasures. Paying it a visit on this trip was essential.

The site of the castle has a long history as the power centre of the area. Although the current Matsumoto Castle was built in the late 1500s, there was another fort at the same location nearly a hundred years earlier. The outline of this former building is marked out by bricks laid into the lawns in front of the castle.

The building and layout that we now see began to emerge with the building of the wooden keep that was built in the late 1500’s and remains at the heart of the current structure. It is around this central wooden keep that the castle was extended to become the impressive fortification we see today.

An important part of those fortifications is the wide moat that fully encircles the core castle and grounds. This was important for defence as unusually the castle does not sit atop a high point as many castles do. Instead it commands views and provides control over a wide flat plain, so the moat was vital. At the height of the castle’s power, this would have been accompanied by a network of other outer moats which no longer survive. Today the moat is home to some impressive koi, and provide a great mirroring of the castle for the all important ‘gram shots.

The samurai theme began not long after we had crossed the drawbridge over the moat and come through the southern entrance. Here inside one of the gates there was a modern replica of the traditional suit of metal armour of the samurai.

As we walked around and up the main tower it struck us that although this castle might look very different, it actually shares several features with British castles. On the second floor as the roof splays out, the eaves were left open so that the defenders could drop stones on any invaders. Many British castles have similar designs allowing one to pour boiling oil onto the enemy below. Arrowslits and other small openings also allowed the samurai to fire out and keep attackers at bay while minimising their own risk of being hit.

The weaponry available to the samurai of the day was also fairly familiar. As we walked the floors of the castle there was a sizeable display of weapons explaining how they had developed through the ages. The incredibly long barrel-loaded muskets must have been tremendously unwieldy for the early defenders within the castle. It wasn’t long before rifles, breach-loading shotguns and pistols became commonplace alongside rudimentary hand grenades. Rafe was most interested to see that small pistols and other weapons had been concealed into other items or for storage up the sleeves of kimonos for stealthy assassinations – very reminiscent of clandestine equipment deployed in the second world war.

The very steep staircases echo those found in castles elsewhere, and we imagined they must have been treacherous for a fully suited samurai. The architects here didn’t fully neglect the battling samurai’s needs though – several of the corridors were built especially wide to accommodate the armour of a running warrior.

Higher on the top floor of the tower we found something altogether more idiosyncratic. Legend has it that Matsumoto Castle has stood so long because a 500kg bag of rice was blessed then hauled up into the topmost roof cavity. From there it looked down on the castle and ensured its survival and all those that made their base there.

Matsumoto is one of two castles in Japan to have its very own room specifically designed for viewing the moon. This was added as an extension to the main building a little later, in 1635 when times had become more peaceful, and attacks less imminent. Moon viewing is vital, and definitely needs its own venue from a room open on three sides. A view of the blazing moon with the backdrop of the mountains must have been quite the sight, before the days of Netflix.

With all the focus on samurai – their castle, armaments and armour – it was great to actually encounter a samurai as we came out of the castle. What’s more he was very happy to have his photo taken with us which was a real thrill. Though looking at the picture now, it seems Rafe is still not sure how friendly this warrior really is. Either way, meeting the samurai capped a fantastic morning visit for us.

After reading somewhere that the castle is lit up at night, we wanted to take a look. Fortunately the castle is very close to the centre of modern day Matsumoto so after dinner we were able to wander over to take a look. And wow was that few minutes walk rewarded! The black castle certainly takes on a new level of samurai threat by night.

Matsumoto is located in a beautiful spot, encircled by the dramatic Japanese Alps. The Japanese are very keen on a cutesy mascot, and Matsumoto is no exception. First at the railway station, and throughout our visit we met Alp-Chan, the mountain capped symbol of Matsumoto who appears in different outfits ready for photo opportunities across the city.

How we did it

Once you have made your way to Matsumoto (we did so by train), visiting the castle is very straightforward. The castle is located in town only a few minutes walk from the centre. We didn’t book entry in advance. There are free guided tours in English and other languages which seemed to start running around mid morning, however we arrived as the castle opened and made our own way around instead.