Matsumoto Castle’s Keep (天守閣, Or “Tenshu Kaku”) Is 1 Of Only 12 Surviving “Tenshu” In All Of Japan!
Inside of the castle? Yes, I have, and what is very surprising to me about this Castle is during the Edo period, ((that is to say)) during the feudal era, Japan had more than 300 castles, but today there are only twelve original castles in in the entire nation. In the entire nation of Japan today,
Only twelve original castles and this is one of the twelve in the entire nation! That, to me, is absolutely shocking because there used to be more than 300. That, to me, is absolutely shocking! Right, so you studied about Japanese history, about the Japanese castles. Well, a little bit. I know some of the volunteer
Tour guides. This Castle, because it’s national, ((because it is)) a protected Castle nationally, there’s some special funding from the central government. But, there are, uh, volunteer tour guides who give tours in many, many, different languages and I know some of the tour guides who are volunteers. I see so, uh,
And then, uh, (the) stairs inside are so steep- very steep. Very steep, yes, yes. And, if you go uh at the top of the castle you can see, like, a 360 degree panorama view. Wow! Yes, and inside the castle there’s a small museum
And you can see some muskets. You can see some muskets and weapons from the feudal era. I see. Yes. Okay, so ….. And, you can even see some suits of armor- Japanese suits of armor. Yes, inside. So, by the way,
You are wearing that cap and it says: “Canada.” Yes. What’s that? So, this cap I’m wearing right now it’s, uh, designed by a Canadian, uh, casual wear company called “Roots,” which in Australia has a different meaning entirely. If you’re Australian, it has a very different meaning, but this “Roots”
Cap, uh, was an official, uh, Olympic uniform for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, in the USA. This was, uh, part of the Olympic team uniform for Team Canada, <> “L’Equipe Nationale du Canada,” “merci beaucoup.” ….. All right. So, uh, in 2000,
In 2000 year ….. Oh, no! It was 1998 that Nagano hosted the Winter Olympic Games. Yes, right here in Nagano the Olympics before this one, the Olympics before Salt Lake City, were ((held)) in Nagano- exactly where we are, in
The year 1998. Yay! In 1998, did you work for the Olympic Games? Uh, it’s a good question. I was, uh, a teacher in Vancouver, British Columbia, at that time. I was a high school teacher, so I was here
On vacation. I see. …. uh, in January and December ((of 1998)). We were here, uh, from Vancouver, uh, Christmas and New Year’s. So, we were here like a month before the opening ceremony. I see. In my case, in my case, I
I just got admitted by, uh, University in, uh, Sydney ((Australia)). Then, I came back to Japan. I worked for a newspaper company as a, uh, translator, a freelance translator, who was helping them translate Korean into Japanese. Fantastic! I, uh, interviewed people who are in the both South and North Korean teams. Great! And, what
Did those Olympic athletes who you interviewed, uh, what did they say about this prefecture? What did they say about “Na-ga-no?” I heard nothing about the prefecture, but, uh, uh, that (1998 Winter) Olympic Games was the
First time for the South Korean national team to join the members of the North ((Korean team)), ….. for sending the members for uh, ski ….. Wow! ….. ski team and then also, um, ….. Wow! ….. Some North Korean, uh, athletes came to Japan, and then
I sent a message from the, like, leader of North Korean team to South Korean team. Yes! Yes! And, then, that was a great, uh, what do you say “memory?” Memory? Yes! ….. a good memory for me, and I I think I did a
Good job …., Yeah! ….. for both parties. I’m sure you did. I’m sure you did an excellent job of translating the Hangol language into the local Japanese language. Yes, we are now in Matsumoto, but, uh, uh, the (1998) Olympic Games
Were mainly held in the cities called Nagano and Hakuba. Okay. And, let us not forget that in 1998 the curling, Canadian curling events, were held in Karuizawa, which is very close to Ueda City, where
I am from. I am from Ueda City. Curling is originary from Canada? Yes, uh, ice hockey was born in Canada, and also curling originated there, also. Okay. So, um, today we can see that the mountains are snowcapped.
Oh, can we see (the) mountains- snowcapped mountains? Yeah. It’s freezing cold, freezing cold. But, sunny and beautiful. Yeah, sunny and beautiful. So, if you see the garden here, uh, there is some snow here. Wow!
You can see that that there is some snow. Yeah, we see some residual snow, yes we do. Did we have a snowy day? When was that? Uh, it snowed a few days ago. Last weekend it did snow. Yes, yes, it did, yes. And, we see
A white swan in the moat. In this moat, we see, uh, some ducks- but over there is one lone white swan, which is not, uh, something you commonly see in winter. We don’t always see a white swan in the
Middle of winter. Yes! So, in summer, I often come here by bicycle, and then just sit on a bench and then, uh, indulge myself- by looking up at the sky and then, like, just looking at the
Beautiful castle. Wow! It’s a, a, gorgeous place to come, you know. Yes, it is. Yes, yes. This castle has stayed here for more than 400 years, so ((there have been)) many, many, generations. Yes, the castle has seen many
Generations …. are coming here, and then having a fun time. Yes, and some non-Japanese viewers watching this YouTube channel, they may not realize that this castle has a unique coloration, a unique color scheme. This castle is black- predominantly black- and that is very, very, unusual. Most castles
In Japan are white, and, uh, there are very few black castles remaining in Japan. So, that’s why the castle has, uh, its nickname, right? What is the castle’s nickname in Japanese? “Black Crow.” “Black Crow Castle.” That’s right, Matsumoto Castle’s nickname, in English translation, would be “The Black
Crow.” That’s right. Yes, yes. Isn’t it cool? Very cool! The black castle. It is cool. And, yes, um, we can see, what do you say …. that illumination? “Projection mapping.” Projection mapping, right. Yes. Yeah, there’s a little black booth they’ve erected for projection mapping. If you come here at night, you can enjoy projection
Mapping. Yes, but some people don’t like projection mapping because it might not be environmentally sustainable. It might not be congruent with United Nations “SDGs:” sustainable development goals. Yes, yes. All right, so now let’s walk around the castle. Yay! Let’s have a walk around Matsumoto Castle, on …..
Matsumoto Castle (松本城, Matsumoto-jō), originally known as Fukashi Castle, is one of Japan’s premier historic castles, along with Himeji and Kumamoto. The keep, (天守閣, tenshukaku), which was completed in the late sixteenth century, maintains its original wooden interiors and external stonework. It is listed as a National Treasure of Japan, and is one of only twelve surviving “tenshu” in Japan. It is surrounded by four buildings which have also been designated as National Treasures. Matsumoto Castle is a flatland castle (平城, hirajiro) because it is not built on a hilltop or amid rivers, but on a plain. Its complete defences would have included an extensive system of inter-connecting walls, moats, and gatehouses.
In 1872, the new Meiji government ordered the destruction of all former “feudal fortifications”! Most of the castle structures were razed, and the outer grounds of Matsumoto Castle were sold off at auction for redevelopment.
When news broke that the “tenshu” was going to be demolished, an influential figure from Matsumoto named Mr. Ichikawa Ryōzō, along with other residents of Matsumoto city, started a civic campaign to save this historical edifice. Their efforts were rewarded when the keep, and its tower, were acquired by the municipal government.
Given that Matsumoto Castle has been officially designated as a Japanese “National Treasure,” and given that it is, without doubt, the most impressive castle in all of Nagano prefecture, the two erstwhile hosts of “Go! Go! Nagano” decided to make it the venue of their very first open-air recording! Accordingly, the “Go! Go! Nagano” film production crew visited this castle on Tuesday morning, February. 27th, 2024. As you’ll soon see in the actual video, there was still a bit of snow left on the ground on this date.