Matsushiro Castle Ruins

Nagano, Japan, Japan

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Matsushiro Castle Ruins, originally called Kaizu Castle, are the remains of a flatland castle in the former Matsushiro town, now part of Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, and they are a key site for understanding the Sanada clan’s rule over the Matsushiro Domain from 1622 to 1868.

The site was first built in the mid‑16th century as a strategic base for the Takeda clan, with the famous general Kansuke Yamamoto constructing it around 1559 under orders from Takeda Shingen to prepare for conflict with Uesugi Kenshin, and it was positioned as a natural fortress by using the Chikuma River as a broad outer moat on its north side. 

When the Sanada clan took over, a large 100,000‑koku castle town developed around the castle, which was renamed Matsushiro Castle, and after the Meiji Restoration in 1868 the buildings were dismantled and the castle was abandoned, leaving only the stone walls for many years. Matsushiro Castle Ruins were designated a National Historic Site in 1981, and between 1998 and 2004.

The city carried out major restoration work that rebuilt the Yaguramon gate, wooden bridges, stone walls, earthen ramparts, and moats using traditional techniques based on archaeological evidence, creating a peaceful park where visitors can walk through a reconstructed feudal castle environment.