Foundation Support Pillar
Matsumoto Castle stands on a composite alluvial fan formed by the Metoba and Susuki Rivers. To erect a castle on the soft, marshy soil, the builders used innovative construction techniques to prevent the keep from slowly sinking into the ground. Their first innovation was the addition of a thick, wooden lattice to internally reinforce the castle’s foundation.
Sixteen hemlock posts, each measuring 5 meters in length and ranging from 36.3 to 39.3 centimeters in diameter, were arranged in a four-by-four grid and connected with beams. Then, the builders buried the entire structure. This created an artificial hill, around which they built the stone walls of the foundation. The foundation, together with the hill, evenly bore the weight of the nearly 1,000-ton Great Keep.
The 16 hemlock posts were excavated during major repairs to the castle in the 1950s, and one post is displayed here. As part of the repairs, the wooden posts were replaced with concrete piles.