CastleHilltop castle (hirayamajiro)Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 3
What makes this castle distinctive
Built on the shogunate's orders to face down foreign ships, this was the last and northernmost castle built in the traditional Japanese style, with seven gun batteries lined up toward the sea.
Why?
In 1849, worried by foreign ships appearing off Ezo (today's Hokkaido), the shogunate ordered Matsumae Takahiro, lord of the Matsumae domain, to strengthen his defenses. The new castle, finished in 1854, had seven gun batteries in its outer enclosure near the shore. Matsumae Town calls it Japan's northernmost and last castle built in the traditional Japanese style.[1][2]
The south-facing front of the main enclosure (honmaru), right next to the keep.
What to look at
The gatehouse sitting on top of the stone walls, and the bullet marks left on the gate's stonework.
Why it's interesting
It survived both the Meiji-era demolition and the 1949 fire, making it the only Edo-period building left at Matsumae Castle, and it is an Important Cultural Property. According to the local tourism association, the gate's stone walls still carry bullet marks from the fighting of 1868.[2][3][11]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideVisible from outside at any time. No public access to the interior of the gatehouse has been announced.
The rebuilt keep and the strait view from Kantodai
Where
The keep (Matsumae Castle Museum) in the main enclosure, and the Kantodai viewing area in the paid section.
What to look at
The white, three-tiered keep, the Tsugaru Strait seen from the museum, and the reproduction of the Matsumae folding screen inside.
Why it's interesting
The wooden keep, a National Treasure, burned in 1949, but a campaign across Hokkaido rebuilt it in reinforced concrete in 1960. The museum inside includes a reproduction of the Matsumae folding screen, said to show the castle town in the 1750s, and from the keep you look out over the sea the castle was built to watch.[3][4]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideThe museum and Kantodai charge admission and are open only from April 10 to December 10. Stairs only inside.
03
The Matsumae lords' cemetery with its stone shrines
Where
In the temple quarter (Teramachi) north of the castle, just north of Hodoji Temple.
What to look at
The roofed stone shrines over the graves, and the color of the stone: older ones are greenish Shakudani stone from Echizen (Fukui), later ones are granite.
Why it's interesting
Fifty-five gravestones of lords and their families over 19 generations stand here, 23 of them inside stone shrines. This style of covering graves with stone shrines is also found along the Sea of Japan coast and at Mt. Koya, reflecting Matsumae's close sea links with mainland Japan. It is a National Historic Site.[7][11]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideOpen to view. It is a cemetery, so visit quietly.
At a glance for visitors
Nearest station
10 min walk from Matsushiro bus stop (Hakodate Bus)
Climb
Not confirmed
Time neededEditors' estimate
The tourism association suggests 30–60 minutes for the castle, 20–45 minutes for Matsumae Han Yashiki, and 20–30 minutes for the temple quarter and the lords' cemetery.
Admission
Adults (high school and up) 360 yen, children (elementary and junior high) 240 yen; groups of 10+ 290/190 yen. Combined ticket with Matsumae Han Yashiki: 620/420 yen. Free for preschoolers.
Hours
9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30), April 10 – December 10
Access
Open to visitors
The castle grounds (Matsumae Park) are free to walk around. The Matsumae Castle Museum in the keep and the Kantodai viewing area are paid and open only from April 10 to December 10.
The Matsumae family began as the Kakizaki clan, based at Odate. Its fifth head, Yoshihiro, was recognized as a daimyo by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu and changed the family name to Matsumae. In 1600 he began a new stronghold, Fukuyama-date, on the Fukuyama terrace south of Odate and finished it in 1606. Officially the domain called it a "residence" or "camp" rather than a castle, but it presented it as a castle to its people and to the Ainu.[1][9]
02
Historical record
A new castle against foreign ships
In 1849 the shogunate gave Lord Matsumae Takahiro special permission, and orders, to build a castle against foreign ships. It was designed by Ichikawa Ichigaku, a military scholar from the Takasaki domain; work began in 1850 and ended in 1854. The castle had three enclosures, 16 gates, a three-tiered turret serving as the keep, three two-tiered turrets, and seven gun batteries in the outer enclosure near the sea. After shogunate inspector Hori Toshihiro and others examined it, it was named Fukuyama Castle.[1][2]
03
Historical record
Fallen within 14 years
In 1868, after former shogunate forces took Goryokaku, a unit led by Hijikata Toshizo, former vice-commander of the Shinsengumi, marched on Fukuyama Castle. The Matsumae domain fought back, but the castle fell, and its troops withdrew after setting fire to part of the castle and the temple quarter. The new government's army retook the castle in April 1869, but two years of fighting burned two-thirds of the town. Just before the attack, the domain had moved to a new inland fort, Tate Castle in Assabu, and that fell to the former shogunate forces too.[1][9][11]
04
Historical record
Demolition, then the 1949 fire
In the Meiji era, the Hokkaido Development Commission decided in 1873 to demolish the castle, and by 1875 everything except the keep, the main gate and the main palace had been torn down, stone walls removed and moats filled. The keep, the main gate and the east wall were named National Treasures in 1941. Then on June 5, 1949, a fire at the town hall spread to the castle and destroyed the keep and the east wall. Only the main gate survived, and it became an Important Cultural Property in 1950.[1][2]
05
Historical record
A keep rebuilt by all of Hokkaido
After the fire, a keep reconstruction committee ran a campaign across Hokkaido, and a reinforced-concrete keep designed by Professor Ooka Minoru of Yokohama National University was completed in 1960. It opened the following year as the Matsumae Castle Museum. The castle site became a National Historic Site in 1935, and conservation work has continued since 1976. In 2004 the castle and the temple quarter were chosen as a Hokkaido Heritage site.[1][3][11]
The new Fukuyama Castle, ordered by the shogunate, is completed[1][2]
Taken by former shogunate forces under Hijikata Toshizo[1]
Demolished except the keep, main gate and palace[1]
Keep, main gate and east wall named National Treasures[2]
June 5: fire from the town hall destroys the keep and east wall[1][2]
The reinforced-concrete replacement keep is completed[3]
Buildings and remains
The keep today
Modern reconstruction
A reinforced-concrete replacement built in 1960 for the wooden keep (a National Treasure) lost in 1949; three tiers and three floors, per the Japan Castle Foundation. It houses the Matsumae Castle Museum.
The site today
The site is part of Matsumae Park, with the rebuilt keep (Matsumae Castle Museum) and the original main gate in the main enclosure. Many stone walls were removed and moats filled in the Meiji era, and later buildings crowded the site, so conservation has been under way since 1976. The temple quarter and the lords' cemetery lie just to the north.
Main buildings
Modern reconstruction
Keep (tenshu)
Burned in 1949, rebuilt in reinforced concrete in 1960. Now a museum with a basement and three floors, stairs only.[3]
OriginalImportant Cultural Property
Honmaru Gomon (main gate)
The only surviving building of the castle, completed in the late Edo period: a gable-roofed, copper-clad gatehouse. National Treasure in 1941; Important Cultural Property from 1950.[2]
Original, relocatedHokkaido Tangible Cultural Property
Entrance of the former main palace
Part of the 1606 palace, reused in the new castle. It served as the entrance of a primary school until 1982 and was then moved intact for preservation. Said to have come from Fushimi Castle.[6]
Lost
East wall
Named a National Treasure in 1941, lost in the 1949 fire.[2]
Key facts
Type
Castle
Setting
Hilltop castle (hirayamajiro)built on a low hill rising from the plainEditorial article
Period
Early modern (1570s–1871)Editorial article
Keep (tenshu)
Modern reconstructiona keep rebuilt in the 20th century or later; shape or position may differ from the originalEditorial article
Built by
Matsumae Takahiro, Matsumae YoshihiroJapan Castle Foundation
National Historic Site (Matsumae Clan Castle Sites: Fukuyama Castle) (1935); Important Cultural Property (main gate) (1950); Hokkaido Tangible Cultural Property (palace entrance) (1963); National Historic Site (cemetery of the Matsumae lords) (1981)Editorial article
Selection
Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 3Japan Castle Foundation
Visiting
Access
Open to visitors
The castle grounds (Matsumae Park) are free to walk around. The Matsumae Castle Museum in the keep and the Kantodai viewing area are paid and open only from April 10 to December 10.
Matsushiro bus stop (Hakodate Bus)Hakodate Bus from Kikonai Station (Hokkaido Shinkansen / South Hokkaido Railway)
about 10 min walk · Not confirmed
Too far from any railway station to walk. Take the bus from Kikonai Station to Matsushiro, then walk about 10 minutes. The tourism association publishes a day-trip plan by public transport using the Shinkansen to and from Kikonai. Check the timetable for bus travel time.[5][13]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Hours and admission
Matsumae Castle Museum (in the keep) and Kantodai
Hours
9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30), April 10 – December 10
Closed
Closed for winter from December 11 to April 9
Admission
Adults (high school and up) 360 yen, children (elementary and junior high) 240 yen; groups of 10+ 290/190 yen. Combined ticket with Matsumae Han Yashiki: 620/420 yen. Free for preschoolers.[4]
Checked: 2026-10-03
By car / parking
About 80 minutes from JR Kikonai Station (town figure; the tourism association says about an hour). Use the free, unpaved parking lot for historic-site visitors in the temple quarter (about 40 spaces), 5 minutes' walk from the museum.[5][14]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Grounds opening hours
Not confirmedChecked: 2026-10-03
Time neededEditors' estimate
The tourism association suggests 30–60 minutes for the castle, 20–45 minutes for Matsumae Han Yashiki, and 20–30 minutes for the temple quarter and the lords' cemetery.
Steps, slopes and footing
Inside the museum you move between the basement and third floor by stairs only. The parking lot is unpaved.[3][5]
Wheelchairs and strollers
The museum has stairs only, no elevator. Other accessibility information not confirmed.[3]Checked: 2026-10-03
Toilets and rest
Not confirmed
English signs / audio guide
The town's tourism website has an English version. English labels in the museum are not confirmed.[13]
Seasons
Matsumae Park has about 10,000 cherry trees of some 250 varieties, blooming in waves from mid-April to late May. The Matsumae Cherry Blossom Festival runs from mid-April to early May. The museum is closed in winter.[12][4]
Photography
There is a photo spot in the paid Kantodai area. Photo rules inside the museum are not confirmed.[15]
Works, closures and restrictions
The museum closes for winter from December 11, 2026 to April 9, 2027.[4]Checked: 2026-10-03
Suggested routes
Day trip without a car: castle and castle town (tourism association plan) 150 min
Take the Shinkansen to Kikonai, then the bus to Matsushiro
See Matsumae Castle: the museum in the keep and the main gate (30–60 minutes)
Visit Matsumae Han Yashiki, a recreation of the Edo-period castle town (20–45 minutes)
Walk the temple quarter and visit the Matsumae lords' cemetery (20–30 minutes)
Return by bus from Matsushiro to Kikonai Station
A sample plan from the tourism association for April–October. The total adds up its suggested times at each stop (editorial estimate) and excludes travel.
A recreation of the Edo-period castle town, with 14 buildings including the sea checkpoint office, a samurai house and a herring fishermen's lodge. A combined ticket with the castle museum is available.[11][4]
A museum of Matsumae's history and daily life, from Jomon pottery to a festival float from the merchant culture of the domain era and materials on the Hakodate War.[16]
A temple in the quarter north of the castle whose buildings are Important Cultural Properties. The tourism association lists it among the temples where you can see Matsumae's three famous cherry trees.[8][11]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Editors' guide
An editorial guide based on sources and confirmed information — not a first-hand visit report.
Who will enjoy it
For anyone interested in late-Edo coastal defense or Hokkaido's Edo period, and for cherry-blossom lovers. It shows that Hokkaido once had a true castle town.
What makes it interesting
Start with the main gate, the castle's only Edo-period building, and look for bullet marks in its stones. The keep is a reconstruction, but looking out to sea from it makes clear that the castle was built to watch for foreign ships. Then walk north to the temple quarter to see the stone shrines in the lords' cemetery.
Before you go
The keep is a 1960 concrete reconstruction with stairs only inside. The museum closes from December 11 to April 9. The castle is far from any railway station, so come by bus or car from Kikonai.
Ways to enjoy it
With about 250 varieties blooming in turn, the cherry season stretches from mid-April to late May. Use the combined ticket with Matsumae Han Yashiki to see the castle and the recreated town together for a fuller picture of Edo-period Matsumae.
Photos
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Open questions
Sources number Matsumae Takahiro differently: the town counts him as the 17th head of the family, the tourism association as the 13th lord, and Wikipedia as the 12th lord.
The old palace entrance is only said to have come from Fushimi Castle, and its exact current location could not be confirmed.
The bullet marks on the main gate's stone walls are described by the tourism association.
"Northernmost and last Japanese-style castle" is the wording of Matsumae Town and its tourism association.
Park hours, toilets, English labels and photo rules in the museum, the location of the Japan 100 Castles stamp, and the bus travel time from Kikonai could not be confirmed.
Unknown photographerPublic domainWikimedia Commons
