🗺️ Bitchū Matsuyama Castle備中松山城

Japan currently has 12 castles that retain their tenshu (main towers), including Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, which is the only remaining mountain castle with a tenshu in Japan. The castle features a two-story tenshu, along with a double turret and some earthen walls. Inside the tenshu, there are rooms designed for defense and a hall with a hearth. Located at an elevation of about 480 meters in the northern part of the urban area, Ugyuzan is the collective name for the four peaks: Oomatsuyama, Tenjinmaru, Komatsuyama, and Maeyama, with Bitchu Matsuyama Castle built at the center of these four peaks. The modern castle structure preserved on Komatsuyama, at an elevation of 430 meters, was remodeled from a medieval castle. From the Kamakura period to the Sengoku period, it served as a strategic stronghold between Sanyo and San'in, with continuous battles for control. The existing Edo period castle was built during a time of peace and is a symbolic structure of Bitchu Matsuyama. From autumn to spring mornings, under certain temperature conditions, one can glimpse the breathtaking sight of Bitchu Matsuyama Castle floating above a sea of clouds. The photo spot "Bitchu Matsuyama Castle Sea of Clouds Viewing Platform" offers stunning views of the "Sky Castle," which is very popular among travelers.

The only famous mountain castle in Japan that still has a tenshu (天守). It is built on a mountain at an elevation of 430 meters and is known for being an impregnable fortress. It is widely popular as the "sky castle floating in the sea of clouds."