Matsumoto Castle Kuromon Gate
About the Matsumoto Castle Kuromon Gate Camera
This camera is operated by Matsumoto Castle itself and looks from the Kuromon, the black gate on the main approach into the inner bailey.
The castle is one of only twelve in Japan with an original keep still standing, and one of five designated National Treasures. What survives here is the oldest five-tier, six-storey donjon in the country, built around 1594. The black lacquered lower walls give it the nickname Karasu-jo, the crow castle, and set it apart from the white-plastered keeps at Himeji or Hikone.
Unusually, this is a flatland castle rather than a hilltop one, so the keep is reflected in its own moat and the Northern Alps stand behind it. On clear days that combination — black keep, water, snow-covered mountains — is the view Matsumoto is known for.
Highlights & Nearby
- •Watch for: the black keep and moat, the Kuromon gate, the Northern Alps behind on clear days
- •Nearby: Nakamachi-dori, Nawate-dori, Matsumoto Station, Kaichi School
- •Note: cherry blossom around the moat in mid-April; the Alps show best in clear winter air
