Matsuyama Castle

A hilltop castle in central Matsuyama on Shikoku island, one of twelve Japanese castles retaining original structures from the Edo period, perched on 132-meter Katayama hill and reached by ropeway or hiking trail. The three-story keep was last reconstructed in 1854 following a lightning fire and represents late-period castle architecture with defensive corridors and stone walls intact. Views from the ramparts take in the Seto Inland Sea and the surrounding Ehime lowlands.