Friday 9 november 2018
Matsuyama

At one time, there were about 260 castles where local lords and fheir samurai resided. Now there are very few, but fortunately those that have been preserved or renovated are considered to be authentic. For fans of Samurai movies, the castle in Matsuyama is a big treat. How can you not be impressed?

We were able to climb to the top of the castle keep, and got some good views of the castle buildings below and the surrounding countryside. This roof decoration has something to do (I think) with protection from fire (because it’s a fish, hence water):

and here’s the city below:

The traditional tree-shaping arts were at work here as much as in the gardens of more tranquil palaces:

and I can’t resist another roof shot:

We also went, on a separate trip, to a museum with many artifacts of the period, and here’s a warrior’s armor:

The Shogun required the local lords to spend every other year in the capital at Edo (now Tokyo), and this is how they got there. Four men carried this palanquin in which the lord sat and bounced along:

The town of Uchiko has a small well-preserved district of homes and merchants’ shops that also looked just like some scenes in Samurai movies. This interior was quite nice:

and this exterior could have been the model for a movie set:

Back to the castle. Like many other defensive fortifications, it’s way up on the top of a hill. To get there, visitors can ride up in a gondola, or in a single-seat chair lift. As I was riding up, I saw Japanese gentlemen on their way down, apparently after taking a break from work. But unlike me, they were not idly enjoying the scenery. Here’s one:

Castle schmastle, there’s work to do.