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Matsumoto CastleMatsumoto Castle (松本城, -jō) is one of Japan's finest castles. Located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture, it is within easy reach of Tokyo, making it popular with tourists from Japan and other countries. This castle is also called Crow Castle because of its black walls and spreading wings. It is an example of a flatland castle, not being built on a hilltop or amid rivers. The castle's origins go back to the Sengoku (Warring States) period. At that time, the Ogasawara clan built a fort on this site. Later, it came under the rule of the Takeda clan and then Tokugawa Ieyasu. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi transferred Ieyasu to the Kanto region, he placed Ishikawa Norimasa in charge of Matsumoto. Norimasa and his son Yasunaga built the tower and other parts of the castle, and laid out the castle town. During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate established the Matsumoto Han, of which the Matsudaira, Mizuno and others were the daimyo. In 1872, following the Meiji Restoration, the tower was sold at auction and was at risk of being dismantled. However, with the cooperation of Ichikawa Ryozo and other people of Matsumoto, it was spared. The tower of Matsumoto Castle is listed as a National Treasure of Japan.
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