Hamamatsu Castle

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Hamamatsu Castle 浜松城
Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan
Hamamatsu Castle with a cherry blossom in the foreground
Type	Japanese castle
Built	Circa 1532, rebuilt 1958
Built by	Imagawa clan
Construction materials	Wood, stone
Height	Three stories
In use
Current condition	Reconstructed. Serves as a museum
Controlled by	Imagawa clan (1532-1568), Tokugawa shogunate (1568-?)

Hamamatsu Castle (浜松城, Hamamatsu-jō^?) is a reconstructed castle in the middle of down town Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture ^[1].

[edit] History

Hikuma Castle was originally built on the site around 1532 by a vassal of the Imagawa clan but was conquered in 1568 by the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu who moved there from Okazaki Castle in 1570. Tokugawa renovated, expanded and renamed the castle to Hamamatsu Castle in 1577, spending 17 years there. At the end of the 19th century the castle was destroyed by fire and later rebuilt in 1958. The reconstruction sits on the original stone palisade built by Ieyasu known as the "Norzura-zumi", referring to the method used to fit the stones together.

The castle, also called Shusse-jō or Castle of Success, has three stories with an observatory affording a view of the Pacific Ocean at the topmost level. There is a small museum inside which houses armour and other relics of Tokugawa as well as a miniature model of how the city might have looked 400 years ago.

Surrounding the castle is Hamamatsu Castle Park with a large amount of sakura. During the from which paper lanterns are hung and illuminated during the night. A statue of Ieyasu stands in the park

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Hamamatsu Castle website (Japanese)
• Basic information page
• Hamamatsu Castle on the Guide to Japanese Castles site