Matsumoto-jou

[thomas]

A Japanese Castle Bares Its Secrets

As a piece of timing, the 400-year-old building, which is Japan's oldest surviving castle, was an abject failure. It was conceived at the height of a period of intense warfare between feuding samurai clans, but by the time the extraordinary six-story defensive structure was completed, in 1614, Japan had entered an era of unprecedented stability. The peace under centralized rule would last two and a half centuries

=> http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/19/tr...e228c2&ei=5040

Related:

Castles of Japan

=> http://www.japanreference.com/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=9

=> http://www.hikyaku.com/gallery/english/matsumo.htm

=> http://www.reggie.net/album.php?albid=507 (nice gallery)

=> http://www.obershawonline.com/castle...tml?matsumoto5

=> http://markun.cs.shinshu-u.ac.jp/jap...atsumoto-e.htm

Matsumoto City

=> http://www.japanreference.com/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4759