CastleHilltop castle (hirayamajiro)Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 81
What makes this castle distinctive
The keep was finished the year after Perry's Black Ships arrived, and its roof tiles bear the hollyhock crest of the Tokugawa clan.
Why?
Today's keep was rebuilt in 1854 after lightning burned the earlier one, making it one of the very last keeps built in the Edo period. Because it was built by the Matsudaira (Hisamatsu) family, relatives of the Tokugawa shoguns, the roof tiles carry the three-leaf hollyhock crest. The castle's official website says Matsuyama is the only one of Japan's twelve original surviving keeps with this crest on its tiles.[1][2]
The hollyhock-crested keep and its linked inner citadel
Where
The hondan, an inner citadel at the north end of the main enclosure, raised about 8 m higher on its own stone walls. The only way in is through Ichi-no-mon gate.
What to look at
The hollyhock crest on the tiles; the way the keep, small keep and turrets are joined by corridors around a courtyard; and the series of gates you must pass before reaching the keep.
Why it's interesting
In this 'linked' (renritsu) layout, the keep, a small keep and turrets stand on four sides and are joined by corridors. The official website says that among the twelve original keeps, only Himeji and Matsuyama have this layout. Inside, the keep has ceilings, an alcove (tokonoma) and grooves for sliding doors, making it more like a residence than most keeps. The small keep and turrets around it burned in an arson fire in 1933 and were rebuilt in wood in 1968.[1][2][3][8]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideYou can see the citadel from the main plaza for free. Entry to the keep is paid (520 yen for adults). The stairs inside are steep, and there is no elevator or toilet in the keep.
The nobori-ishigaki: stone walls that climb the hill
Where
On the slope between the second enclosure at the foot of the hill and the main enclosure at the top. You pass right beside it on the Kenchoura path behind the Ehime Prefectural Office.
What to look at
The line of stone wall running straight up the hillside.
Why it's interesting
Two walls link the bottom of the hill to the top to stop enemies climbing the slope. The technique is said to have been used at the Japanese-built castles (wajo) in Korea during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasions in the 1590s. According to the official website, among castles with original keeps it is confirmed only at Matsuyama and Hikone. The southern wall survives almost intact and is about 230 m long; only part of the northern one remains.[3][4][6][9]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideFree to see from the Kenchoura path. From September 12 to November 27, 2026, the path is closed to vehicles for construction preparations; walkers can still use it, but it is narrower than usual.
On the north side of the main enclosure, near Inui-mon, the rear gate.
What to look at
The roof shape, which looks like a small lookout perched on top of a two-story building.
Why it's interesting
Placing a lookout on top of a building is an early style common in the first keeps, and it is said to be the origin of the keep form. The official website describes Nohara Yagura as the only surviving two-story turret of this lookout (boro) type in Japan. It is thought to be one of the oldest buildings in the castle, along with Inui Yagura, and is an Important Cultural Property. Compare it with the 1854 keep, built in the later stacked (sotogata) style, to see how castle design changed over time.[2][3][4]
Can you see it?
Partly visibleThe exterior can be seen from inside the main enclosure. We could not confirm whether the interior is open.
At a glance for visitors
Nearest station
5 min walk from Okaido tram stop (Iyotetsu city tram)
Climb
No climb
Time neededEditors' estimate
About 1.5 hours if you ride the ropeway and go into the keep; half a day if you walk up and down and also visit the Ninomaru garden.
Admission
Adults 520 yen, elementary school children 160 yen. Free for Matsuyama residents aged 65+, holders of disability certificates plus one helper, and preschool children with a guardian (up to two).
Hours
9:00–17:00 (until 17:30 in August, 16:30 in December–January). Last entry 30 minutes before closing; ticket sales may end early when crowded.
Access
Open to visitors
The main plaza and the paths up the hill are free. The keep interior and the Ninomaru Historical Garden charge admission. Repairs after the 2024 landslide were completed on May 29, 2026, and the main plaza and all paths have been fully open since June 1, 2026. The Kenchoura path is closed to vehicles from September 12 to November 27, 2026 for construction preparations (walkers may use it, but it is narrower). The Japan 100 Castles stamp is next to the keep ticket booth at the summit (from 9:00 until ticket sales end).
After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Kato Yoshiaki was rewarded with a 200,000-koku domain (han) and felt his old base, Masaki Castle in today's town of Masaki, was too small. He chose Katsuyama, a hill in the middle of the Matsuyama plain, for a new castle. Work began in 1602, and in 1603 he renamed the area from Katsuyama to Matsuyama. The main enclosure on the summit was made by filling in the valley between two peaks.[1][4]
02
Historical record
Built by one of the 'Seven Spears'
Kato Yoshiaki was famous as one of the 'Seven Spears of Shizugatake', warriors who distinguished themselves for Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583. With his retainer Adachi Shigenobu in charge of construction, he put the main enclosure (honmaru) on the summit and the second and third enclosures at the southwest foot of the hill, then enclosed the slope between them with two climbing stone walls, one on the north and one on the south. Tradition says he also moved important gates and turrets from Masaki Castle.[1][3][4]
03
Historical record
Three ruling families, then a Tokugawa branch
Construction dragged on for about a quarter of a century, and Yoshiaki was transferred to Aizu (in today's Fukushima Prefecture) in 1627 before it was finished. His successor, Gamo Tadatomo, completed the castle but died suddenly in 1634 without an heir, ending his family line. In 1635 Matsudaira Sadayuki, a nephew of Tokugawa Ieyasu, arrived with a 150,000-koku domain, and his descendants ruled until the Meiji Restoration. Tradition says it was Sadayuki who reshaped the keep into three tiers.[1]
04
Historical record
Lightning, arson and air raids
Lightning burned the keep on New Year's Day 1784, and it was not rebuilt until 1854; that is the keep you see today. In the Meiji era the palaces in the second and third enclosures burned and the castle became a park. In 1923 Hisamatsu Sadakoto, head of the former ruling family, bought the castle from the state and donated it to Matsuyama City along with money for its upkeep. Later, an arson fire in 1933 destroyed the small keep and other buildings, and a 1945 air raid burned Inui-mon gate and more. Still, 21 structures including the keep survived and are designated Important Cultural Properties.[1][3]
05
Historical record
Rebuilding in wood
The lost buildings have been rebuilt step by step. Starting with the small keep, corner turrets and connecting corridor in 1968, Tsutsui-mon gate (1971), Taiko-mon gate (1972), Inui-mon gate (1982) and others were all rebuilt in wood. Only Bagu Yagura, rebuilt in 1958, is reinforced concrete. Conservation repairs on the keep and six other buildings were completed in 2006.[1][3]
06
Historical record
The 2024 landslide and repairs
In the early hours of July 12, 2024, part of the east slope of castle hill collapsed and sent earth into the Midorimachi neighborhood below. A house was swept away and people lost their lives. The keep, the ropeway and the paths up the hill were closed, then reopened on July 31 after inspections found no problems, with the area around the collapse kept off-limits. Matsuyama City carried out full repair work on the slope from April 2025 and finished on May 29, 2026. Since June 1, 2026, the main plaza and all the paths up the hill have been fully open.[12][13][14][17]
Arson destroys the small keep and other buildings[1]
The small keep and corner turrets are rebuilt in wood[1]
July 12: landslide on the east slope of castle hill (repairs completed May 2026)[12][13]
Buildings and remains
The keep today
Original keep
A three-tier, three-story keep with a basement, in the stacked (sotogata) style. After lightning destroyed the earlier keep in 1784, this one was completed in 1854 and survives today as one of Japan's twelve original keeps (Important Cultural Property). The small keep, corner turrets and corridors linked to it were rebuilt in wood in 1968.
The site today
The whole hill plus the second and third enclosures form Shiroyama Park. The keep, turrets and gates stand in the main enclosure on the summit, the second enclosure is the paid Ninomaru Historical Garden, and the third enclosure is the open lawns of the Horinouchi district.
Main buildings
OriginalImportant Cultural Property
Keep (tenshu)
Completed in 1854. The interior is a paid exhibition space. Roof tiles bear the hollyhock crest.[2][3]
OriginalImportant Cultural Property
Nohara Yagura (turret)
A two-story turret with a lookout on top, thought to be among the oldest buildings in the castle.[3]
OriginalImportant Cultural Property
Inui Yagura (turret)
A two-story corner turret surviving from the original construction, said to have been moved from Masaki Castle.[3]
OriginalImportant Cultural Properties
Ichi-no-mon, Ni-no-mon, San-no-mon, Shichiku-mon, Kakure-mon, Tonashi-mon and other gates
Together with the keep, 21 gates, turrets and walls are Important Cultural Properties.[3]
Rebuilt in woodRegistered Tangible Cultural Properties (some)
Small keep, south and north corner turrets, Jukken Roka corridor, tamon turrets
Burned in the 1933 arson fire and rebuilt in wood in 1968.[1][3]
Rebuilt in woodRegistered Tangible Cultural Properties (some)
Tsutsui-mon, Taiko-mon, Taiko Yagura, Inui-mon and others
Lost to arson (1949) or air raids (1945) and rebuilt in wood between 1971 and 1986.[1][3]
Hilltop castle (hirayamajiro)built on a low hill rising from the plainEditorial article
Period
Early modern (1570s–1871)Editorial article
Keep (tenshu)
Original keepthe keep (tenshu) itself survives from before 1868Editorial article
Built by
Kato Yoshiaki, Gamō TadatomoJapan Castle Foundation
Built
1602Japan Castle Foundation
Main lords
Gamō clan, Katō clan, Matsudaira clanJapan Castle Foundation
Abandoned
1873Wikipedia (ja)
Remains to see
Turrets or turret bases, Gates, Wells, Stone walls, Earthen ramparts, Moats, Baileys / enclosures (kuruwa), Fortified gateways (koguchi), Keep base (tenshudai)Editorial article
Designation
National Historic Site (1952); Important Cultural Properties (the keep and 20 other structures) (1950)Editorial article
Selection
Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 81Japan Castle Foundation
Visiting
Access
Open to visitors
The main plaza and the paths up the hill are free. The keep interior and the Ninomaru Historical Garden charge admission. Repairs after the 2024 landslide were completed on May 29, 2026, and the main plaza and all paths have been fully open since June 1, 2026. The Kenchoura path is closed to vehicles from September 12 to November 27, 2026 for construction preparations (walkers may use it, but it is narrower). The Japan 100 Castles stamp is next to the keep ticket booth at the summit (from 9:00 until ticket sales end).
Okaido tram stop (Iyotetsu city tram)Iyotetsu city tram (about 10 minutes from JR Matsuyama Station or Matsuyama City Station)
about 5 min walk · No climb
Walk north from the tram stop along Ropeway Street to Shinonome-guchi Station, about 5 minutes. Take the ropeway or chairlift up to Chojagahira, then walk about 10 minutes to the keep. The official site advises allowing about 30 minutes from the station's ground floor to the keep ticket booth.[6][15][5]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Hours and admission
Matsuyama Castle keep
Hours
9:00–17:00 (until 17:30 in August, 16:30 in December–January). Last entry 30 minutes before closing; ticket sales may end early when crowded.
Closed
Third Wednesday of December (annual cleaning)
Admission
Adults 520 yen, elementary school children 160 yen. Free for Matsuyama residents aged 65+, holders of disability certificates plus one helper, and preschool children with a guardian (up to two).[5]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Matsuyama Castle Ropeway and chairlift
Hours
Ropeway 8:30–17:30 (until 18:00 in August, 17:00 in December–January), every 10 minutes. Chairlift 8:30–17:00, suspended in rain.
Closed
Open every day
Admission
Return: adults 520 yen, children 260 yen; one way: adults 270 yen, children 140 yen (tickets valid on either ropeway or lift). A combined ticket with the return ride and keep admission (adults 1,040 yen, children 420 yen) is sold on the ground floor of Shinonome-guchi Station from 8:00 to 14:00.[5][10][11]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Ninomaru Historical Garden
Hours
9:00–17:00 (until 17:30 in August, 16:30 in December–January)
Matsuyama Castle Parking (Kiyomachi lot, 1-6-11 Kiyomachi), about 2 minutes' walk from the ropeway. Cars 420 yen for 2 hours, then 100 yen per 30 minutes; buses 1,050 yen for 2 hours, then 200 yen per 30 minutes. No reservations. There is also a free 31-car lot for the Ninomaru Historical Garden.[6]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Grounds opening hours
The Horinouchi district of Shiroyama Park is open 24 hours, every day. The main plaza is free (its opening hours were not confirmed).[5]Checked: 2026-10-03
Time neededEditors' estimate
About 1.5 hours if you ride the ropeway and go into the keep; half a day if you walk up and down and also visit the Ninomaru garden.
Steps, slopes and footing
The main enclosure sits on a 132 m summit. Of the four paths up, the Shinonome and Kenchoura routes take about 30 minutes each on foot; the Kuromon route takes about 40 minutes with many stone steps; the Furumachi route also has many steps and some unpaved sections. Even after the ropeway or lift, there are steps and slopes.[6][7]
Wheelchairs and strollers
Wheelchair users cannot reach the main plaza on their own; with two or three helpers it is possible. Three wheelchairs can be borrowed at Chojagahira summit station (from 8:30). Wheelchair users with a disability certificate ride the ropeway free with up to three helpers. The keep itself cannot be entered by wheelchair because of its structure.[5][8]Checked: 2026-10-03
Toilets and rest
Toilets are next to the shop on the main plaza and west of Chojagahira station. There are none inside the keep.[8]
English signs / audio guide
The official website has English pages on the castle, its history, access and fees; some pages such as news use Google machine translation. English signage inside the keep was not confirmed.[15]
Seasons
Shiroyama Park is one of Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots. On weekend and holiday mornings, a drum is beaten to mark the opening of the keep.[4][8]
Photography
Personal photos are allowed anywhere. Live streaming, drones, large equipment that blocks paths, and approaching other visitors for photos are not allowed. Commercial shoots need advance permission (Matsuyama Castle General Office, 089-921-4873).[8]
Works, closures and restrictions
Repairs after the July 2024 landslide were completed on May 29, 2026; the main plaza and all paths have been fully open since June 1. The ropeway and lift run normally (the lift stops in rain). The Kenchoura path is closed to vehicles from September 12 to November 27, 2026 (walkers may still use it).[9][11][12][13]Checked: 2026-10-03
Suggested routes
Classic south route (official, about 40–60 minutes) 60 min
Start at Shinonome-guchi ropeway station and take the Shinonome path
Pass Chojagahira and continue to Tsutsui-mon gate
Explore the main enclosure (add about 30 minutes to enter the keep)
Go back through Tsutsui-mon and down the Kenchoura path, passing the climbing stone wall
Return via the Prefectural Office, Ichibancho crossing and Ropeway Street
The official 'Classic South Course': 2.5 km, about 40–60 minutes without breaks; add about 30 minutes for the keep. Until November 27, 2026, the Kenchoura path is closed to vehicles and narrower than usual.
Complete course (official, about 1 h 40 min – 2 h 10 min) 130 min
Start at the east rest area of Horinouchi Park
Ninomaru Historical Garden
Climb the Kuromon path
Take the Shinonome path down to the ropeway station, then ride the ropeway or lift up to Chojagahira
Pass Tsutsui-mon to the main plaza and visit the keep
From Inui-mon, walk the Furumachi path down and back, then circle the keep's outer walls
Return from the main plaza down the Kenchoura path to the finish
The official 'Complete Course': 6.1 km covering all four paths, the ropeway, the keep and the Ninomaru garden. Times include the ropeway ride and the keep visit. Wear good shoes, as the Kuromon and Furumachi paths have many stone steps.
The castle ruins of the Kono clan, who ruled Iyo until the Warring States period. Right by Dogo Onsen, in front of the Dogo Koen tram stop, with reconstructed samurai houses and a small museum.[15][18]
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
Good for anyone who wants to climb an original Edo-period keep, walk a castle with many surviving gates and turrets, or combine a castle visit with Dogo Onsen. The ropeway makes this hilltop castle easy to reach.
What makes it interesting
Start with the inner citadel: the winding route through gate after gate to the keep is itself a defensive design. In the keep, look for the hollyhock crest on the tiles and the rooms with ceilings and an alcove. If you have time, walk to the north side of the main enclosure and compare the old-style Nohara Yagura with the 1854 keep.
Before you go
The keep's stairs are steep, and there is no elevator or toilet inside. Wheeled bags cannot be taken into the keep, so leave them in the coin lockers at the ropeway station. Allow about 30 minutes from the ropeway station to the keep ticket booth, and arrive at least an hour before closing. Repairs after the 2024 landslide were completed in May 2026, and all paths are now open.
Ways to enjoy it
Ride the ropeway or lift up, then walk down the Kenchoura path past the climbing stone wall to see how the hilltop citadel was tied to the town below. On weekend mornings you can hear the drum that announces the keep's opening.
Photos
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Open questions
The statements that Matsuyama is the only original keep with the hollyhock crest on its tiles, that Nohara Yagura is Japan's only surviving two-story lookout-type turret, that only Himeji shares its linked keep layout among original keeps, that only Matsuyama and Hikone among original-keep castles have climbing stone walls, and that the southern wall is the largest of its kind in Japan all come from the official Matsuyama Castle website.
That Matsudaira Sadayuki reshaped the keep into three tiers (in 1642), and that Kato Yoshiaki moved gates and turrets from Masaki Castle, are based on tradition.
The loss of life in the landslide (three people died) is taken from Wikipedia; Matsuyama City's recovery pages focus on the outline of the disaster and the repair work.
Opening hours of the main plaza, whether Nohara Yagura's interior is ever open, and English signage inside the keep could not be confirmed.
ZaironCC BY 4.0Wikimedia Commons
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