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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]]). 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]] 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.

The gatehouse is the only surviving original structure. This two story structure has several features designed to cope with the harsh Hokkaido winters. While it uses the standard two roof design (upper story and smaller entrance roof), the rear of the gate has only one on the upper story. This roof was extended further than usual to provide cover from snowfall. The roofing uses copper sheeting over wood shingles rather than traditional terracotta tiling (which doesn’t hold up well in extreme cold). A modern reconstruction of the tenshu replicated the three interior/exterior floor original structure, and the castle grounds now serve as a park for the people of Hokkaido.

The gatehouse is the only surviving original structure. This two story structure has several features designed to cope with the harsh Hokkaido winters. While it uses the standard two roof design (upper story and smaller entrance roof), the rear of the gate has only one on the upper story. This roof was extended further than usual to provide cover from snowfall. The roofing uses copper sheeting over wood shingles rather than traditional terracotta tiling (which doesn’t hold up well in extreme cold). A modern reconstruction of the tenshu replicated the three interior/exterior floor original structure, and the castle grounds now serve as a park for the people of Hokkaido.