Matsue, Japan – Horikawa Pleasure Boat (Matsue Castle Moat Tour)
Horikawa sightseeing boat tour is an hour journey which goes along the castle moat of the National Treasure Matsue Castle.
Matsue Castle (松江城, Matsue-jō) is a Japanese castle located in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture.
Matsue Castle was constructed from 1607 to 1611 by Horio Yoshiharu, the first daimyō of the Matsue Domain, during the early Edo period. Ownership was passed to the Izumo branch of the Kyōgoku in 1633 and then the Matsudaira, a junior branch of the ruling Tokugawa clan, in 1637. The Matsudaira donated Matsue Castle to the city of Matsue in 1927.
Matsue Castle is one of few remaining feudal Japanese castles that retains its main keep in its original wooden form and not a modern concrete reconstruction. Built after the last great war of feudal Japan, the keep has survived earthquakes, fires, wars and other causes that destroyed or damaged many Japanese castles. However, a number of its castle buildings were demolished during the early Meiji period, leaving only the keep and stone walls existing as original structures today. Matsue Castle, standing on the shores of Lake Shinji, is one of Japan’s Three Great Lake Castles and the heart of Matsue’s central riverside district.
Matsue (Japanese: 松江市, Hepburn: Matsue-shi) is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. As of 31 March 2023, the city had an estimated population of 196,748 in 91287 households and a population density of 340 persons per km². The total area of the city is 572.99 square kilometres (221.23 sq mi). Matsue is home to the Tokugawa-era Matsue Castle, one of the last surviving feudal castles in Japan.