Changes

*''Japanese:'' [[松前]] 城 ''(Matsumae-jou)''

*''Japanese:'' [[松前]] 城 ''(Matsumae-jou)''

*''Type: Flatland-Mountain''

*''Type: Flatland-Mountain''

*''Founder: [[Matsumae Takahiro]]''

*''Built: [[Matsumae Yoshihiro]], [[1606]]; [[Matsumae Takahiro]], [[1854]]''

*''Year: [[1854]]''

Matsumae castle (which is also known as Fukuyama castle) is located in southern [[Hokkaido]] alongside the Tsugaru straits between Hokkaido and [[Honshu]]. The castle is the northernmost of all the fully developed castles in Japan. It was built in [[1606]] by [[Matsumae Yoshihiro]]. The castle was the last completed Japanese castle to use traditional building methods. It served as the pipeline for most traffic passing to and from [[Ezo]] (the old name for Hokkaido). Anyone passing from Ezo to Honshu was required to get a passport here. The original structures burned down in [[1637]] and were rebuilt in [[1639]]. The castle was completely rebuilt from [[1849]]-[[1854]] in the traditional Japanese style (unlike the nearby [[Goryokaku castle]]) by [[Matsumae Takahiro]]. It was intended primarily as a defense against Russian ships and the walls were reinforced to withstand off shore artillery bombardment. Most of the structures were not to have a long life-the [[Meiji period|Meiji]] government tore down most of them in 1875 (including the administrative building, three turrents, and an artillery emplacement), leaving only the tenshu and main gate. The tenshu survived World War II but was destroyed during a fire in 1949.

Matsumae castle (which is also known as Fukuyama castle) is located in southern [[Hokkaido]] alongside the Tsugaru straits between Hokkaido and [[Honshu]]. The castle is the northernmost of all the fully developed castles in Japan. It was built in [[1606]] by [[Matsumae Yoshihiro]]. The castle was the last completed Japanese castle to use traditional building methods. It served as the pipeline for most traffic passing to and from [[Ezo]] (the old name for Hokkaido). Anyone passing from Ezo to Honshu was required to get a passport here. The original structures burned down in [[1637]] and were rebuilt in [[1639]]. The castle was completely rebuilt from [[1849]]-[[1854]] in the traditional Japanese style (unlike the nearby [[Goryokaku castle]]) by [[Matsumae Takahiro]]. It was intended primarily as a defense against Russian ships and the walls were reinforced to withstand off shore artillery bombardment. Most of the structures were not to have a long life-the [[Meiji period|Meiji]] government tore down most of them in 1875 (including the administrative building, three turrents, and an artillery emplacement), leaving only the tenshu and main gate. The tenshu survived World War II but was destroyed during a fire in 1949.