Taking a two and a half hour ride on the Limited Express Super Azusa from Shinjuku, and then taking a short 15 minute walk from Matsumoto Station, you will see a fivefold six-story castle in front of you. Built in between 1593 -1594, the castle tower is the oldest preserved in Japan to date. With its black tiles and black lacquered boards, the jet black castle offers great contrast to the 3,000m snow-covered mountains of the Northern Alps, and captivates winter visitors with its splendor. Matsumoto castle symbolizes well the overwhelming power of the ruler at the time of its construction.

Matsumoto City is blessed with rich harvests due to the ample runoff from the melting snow of the Northern Alps. As such, when the Kokufu (provincial capital）was established in the 8th century, the city flourished as the political and military center.

Fukashi Castle, present-day Matsumoto Castle, was built during the turbulent Sengoku Period (Warring States Period : 15th to 16th Century) by the ruler of Matsumoto at the time, Shingen Takeda, a warrior known for his band of unbeatable mounted warriors.

In 1590, Hideyoshi Toyotomi who governed the nation ordered Kazumasa Ishikawa, to build Matsumoto Castle and the major castle towns. Builders of the castle employed advanced architectural technologies in its construction, with the resulting castle weighing 1,000 tons and rising 30m into the sky. On the robust stones of the castle's foundation, called tenshu-dai, turrets have been solidly and efficiently assembled using large pillars to support the heavy weight of the castle. The functionality and unparalleled beauty of its wooden architecture will surely take your breath away.