Bitchu Matsuyama Castle - Castle Town

From Jcastle.info

The lord's palace (aka kyokan or negoya) at the foot of the mountain was fortified nearly as much as a castle itself with extensive stone walls, gates, and yagura too. Unfortunately it is mostly occupied by the Takahashi High School today but you can catch glimpses of the stonework for the palace fo

Bitchu Matsuyama Castle - Castle Town

城下町

The lord's palace (aka kyokan or negoya) at the foot of the mountain was fortified nearly as much as a castle itself with extensive stone walls, gates, and yagura too. Unfortunately it is mostly occupied by the Takahashi High School today but you can catch glimpses of the stonework for the palace foundation that now supports the high school facilities. Some of the stonework along the river in front has been damaged and repaired over the years but those further in the back around the high school and sports fields look to be in better condition.

There is one main street of the castle town which retains some feel for a castle town including two original samurai homes. There are some other gates and other structures built to blend in with the castle town atmosphere but these are the only two that have any original structures. Throughout the town however there are some remnants of stone foundations and earthen walls to remind you of the castle town that one was.

Like some other castles from the time period, the teramachi, or temple district, was also built to help fortify the castle in a time when castle construction was strictly regulated by the bakufu. Shorenji in particular was built at the easternmost edge of the town specifically as a toride, or fort, in the town for the castle. The multiple levels of stone walls employ castle building techniques and the corner may have held a yagura. With the heavily fortified Shorenji and 'negoya' palace on opposite ends of the castle town, the approaches to the castle are well defended before any attacker even reached the mountain.

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