Matsuyama Castle Sujigane Gate

A Gate Banded with Iron

The Matsuyama Castle Sujigane Gate (松山城筋鉄門) is a single-storey timber turret gate 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 timber gate with a tiled roof, 3.0 metres wide, with a side door; registration number 38-0140.

A Turret Gate Reinforced with Iron

The Matsuyama Castle Sujigane Gate is a single-storey turret gate between the keep and the Small Keep, with a simple gabled tiled roof, one opening and a side door; iron bands are fixed to the corners of the posts and other key points (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its plastered and clapboarded walls continue those of the keep.

The upper level is a passage, with double fireproof doors at each end. The gate forms the box-shaped gate court on the south side of the keep (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency dates it to 1967. According to Matsuyama City, it was partly burned 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.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency notes that it forms part of the keep's strong gateway defences, and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.

What to Look For

Look for the iron bands on the posts that give the gate its name, and the passage above that links the keep and the Small Keep (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

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.