Matsuyama Castle Tsutsui Gate

The Main Gate of the Lower Main Bailey

The Matsuyama Castle Tsutsui Gate (松山城筒井門) is a timber turret gate of 1971 in Marunouchi, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on June 29, 2022 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a single-storey timber gate with a tiled roof, a building area of 52 square metres and a side door; registration number 38-0163.

The Main Gate of the Lower Bailey

The Matsuyama Castle Tsutsui Gate is the main gate of the lower level of the main bailey, standing south of the Taiko Gate enclosure (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a turret gate with a side door set between stone walls, and its upper floor joins the West and East Turrets.

Windows open on the front and back of the upper floor and loopholes around the front, and the walls are clapboarded below the lintel line to match the other turrets (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records that it was rebuilt in timber in 1971. According to Matsuyama City, the Tsutsui Gate and its turrets had been lost to arson in 1949.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registers it, with its east and west turrets, as a turret gate that forms part of the castle's layout, for its contribution to the historic landscape.

What to Look For

Look for the way the gate sits between the stone walls, and the loopholes on the front of the upper floor (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

According to Matsuyama City, the paths up the castle hill are steep and the thresholds of the gates and turrets remain high. Opening hours, fees and access are covered on the Matsuyama Castle group page.