Matsue Castle

The Matsue Castle was built on one of three hills: the Kameda-yama. The other two are named the Aka-ama and Uga-yama. Construction led to the destruction of the Uga-yama because of the need to build a moat around the Matsue.

The floors of most castles start with the largest as its base for steadier support, yet the Matsue's second floor is larger than its base. The ishi-otoshi of the castle which are usually built into the its first floor, but they are on the second floor. Ishi-otoshi was an architectural detail used to defend the castle. They are little holes in the walls where defenders of the castle can stop attackers.

The Matsue Castle's tenshu was built in 1611 by Horio Yoshiharu. A smaller one was built nearby and there was an underground path that connected the two. During its time, the tenshu was surrounded by numberous buildings used for storage, guarding, or relaxing uses. Many of parts of this castle have been destroyed since its completion, but the tenshu still remains. It is quite large with six interior floors, especially considering the older style the tenshu was built in. It is five stories tall and with this height, it let the upper three stories act as watchtowers for the castle. From these towers, one can see Lake Shinji, one of nature's protective geographical features for the Matsue.