Matsuyama Castle Small Keep

The Second Tower of the Linked Keep

The Matsuyama Castle Small Keep (松山城小天守) is a two-storey timber turret of 1967 in Marunouchi, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on September 10, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 98 square metres; registration number 38-0133.

A Two-Storey Tower Next to the Keep

The Matsuyama Castle Small Keep stands at the southeast corner of the linked keep complex, which is laid out around a square courtyard. It is a two-storey turret with a hip-and-gable tiled roof and a triangular gable on the south side of its lower roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The walls are plastered, with clapboarding on the lower part, and the plaster is carried up to the eaves. On the outer east and south faces are roofed openings for dropping stones (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency dates it to 1967. According to Matsuyama City, it was lost by arson in 1933 and rebuilt in timber to the basic designs and specifications for nine buildings drawn up by the Ministry of Education in 1935, the work being completed on May 27, 1968.

The small keep had also burned once before, in a fire caused by lightning on New Year's Day 1784, and had been rebuilt in 1854 (Matsuyama City).

Why It Was Registered

The Agency notes that, second in size only to the keep, it gives the heart of the keep complex its imposing presence, and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.

What to Look For

Look for the triangular gable on the south side and the roofed stone-dropping openings on the east and south faces (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Seen beside the keep, it shows how the linked complex was composed.

Visiting

According to Matsuyama City, the keep is linked to the small keep and turrets by passages, and the stairs inside are steep. Opening hours, fees and access are covered on the Matsuyama Castle group page.