Matsumae Castle, Japanese castle in Matsumae, Japan.
Matsumae Castle is a fortress on elevated ground with stone walls in Hokkaido, its central three-story tower rebuilt in 1960 to match the original. The grounds include several buildings and are surrounded by trees that frame the site through different seasons.
The predecessor Fukuyama Mansion was built between 1600 and 1606 for the Matsumae clan, but it was not officially a castle. In 1849 the Tokugawa shogunate ordered lord Matsumae Takahiro to build a castle for coastal defence, and the expanded fortress was completed in 1855. In 1868 Hijikata Toshizō's forces took it during the Boshin War; the new government retook it in 1869. Most buildings were demolished after the Meiji Restoration, and the keep burned down in 1949.
The castle grounds form Matsumae Park, planted with about 10,000 cherry trees of 250 varieties, among them the Matsumae-bred Matsumaehayazaki and Beniyutaka. The park is listed among Japan's top 100 cherry blossom spots, and flowering lasts about two months. The castle's formal name was Fukuyama Castle, avoided in speech to prevent confusion with Bingo-Fukuyama Castle.
The castle museum is open from April through December, with extended hours during the cherry blossom season in late April and May. Wear sturdy shoes as the grounds include steps and uneven surfaces.
The keep visitors see today is a 1961 concrete reconstruction; the original three-tier tower burned down on 5 June 1949 after fire spread from the town office. Bullet marks from the 1868 Boshin War fighting are still visible in the stone walls.
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