Matsukura Castle (Uozu)

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Préfecture de Toyama

Perched on the summit of Mount Matsukura, at an altitude of about 430 metres south-east of the city of Uozu, Matsukura Castle overlooked the Shinkawa Plain and Toyama Bay. Its founding is traditionally dated to around 1335. After the Nanboku-chō period it became the main residence of the Shiina clan, who administered eastern Etchū Province on behalf of the Hatakeyama. When Shiina Yasutane drew closer to the Takeda, Uesugi Kenshin besieged the stronghold in the early 1570s and eventually subdued it; it was then held for the Uesugi by Kawada Nagachika. After the fall of Uozu in 1582 and the turmoil that followed Oda Nobunaga's death, the castle was handed over to Sassa Narimasa in 1583 and later passed to the Maeda; it was abandoned at the end of the Keichō era. Counted among the three great mountain castles of Etchū, the site preserves five summit baileys protected on three sides by steep slopes, as well as dry moats. Designated a historic site by Toyama Prefecture, it is also appreciated for its wild cherry trees planted in the early Shōwa era. It should not be confused with the castle of the same name in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture.