Usual hours and prices, checked 2026-09-14 against the sources under “What this place is”. They can change for holidays and events — confirm before you go. Official site
Our guide
Matsuyama Castle was built in 1603 on Mount Katsuyama in the city of Matsuyama, and it is one of only twelve castles in Japan that still have their original keep — like Matsumoto Castle, Hikone Castle and Inuyama Castle. It is also called Iyo-Matsuyama Castle, to tell it apart from Bitchū Matsuyama Castle in Okayama, and it has been a National Historic Site since 1952.
The keep is on the hilltop, so plan the climb: a ropeway or chairlift goes part of the way, and even from the top station it is about 30 minutes to the keep ticket office. Entry to the keep closes 30 minutes before the castle does. Teppōchō Station is about 450 m away in a straight line.
The castle is close to the rest of Matsuyama: Matsuyama Gintengai Arcade is about 1.2 km away, Botchan Train 1.9 km, and Dogo Onsen Honkan about 2 km.
Written by japan-spots.com (2026-09-22) from the sources credited on this page. Distances are straight lines between map positions.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence — see credits
- 松山城天守 (2372904566) — Yamaguchi Yoshiaki from Japan · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source · resized
- KAKURE-MON,MATSUYAMA CASTLE(IYO) — Jyo81 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Keep of Iyo-Matsuyama Castle — Mnd · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- MATSUYAMA CASTLE(IYO),TENJIN YAGURA — Jyo81 (ja: User) · CC BY 3.0 · source · resized
- Main tower of Matsuyama castle(Iyo)2 — Jyo81 (ja: User) · CC BY 3.0 · source · resized
- Matsuyama 20260406 141032 — Ka23 13 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Matsuyama Aoimon — Senoh393 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
What this place is
Matsuyama Castle (松山城, Matsuyama-jō) is a "flatland-mountain"-style Japanese castle that was built in 1603 on Mount Katsuyama, in the city of Matsuyama in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. The castle is one of twelve Japanese castles to still have its original tenshu. The castle has been protected as a National Historic Site since 1952. It is also called Iyo-Matsuyama Castle to disambiguate it from Bitchū Matsuyama Castle in Okayama. Tsuyama Castle and Himeji Castle were also built in a similar style around the same time period.
Visitor information checked: 2026-09-14 · Matsuyama Castle: visitor guide (hours and fees)
Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
What to expect at this type of place: Castle
Nearby station
Nearby station: Teppocho, about 450 m from the spot in a straight line.
Worked out on 2026-09-14 from this place’s map position, using HeartRails Express station data and station names from Wikidata. The distance is a straight line, not a walking route, and says nothing about buses, transfers or timetables — plan the trip on Google Maps.
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