渡櫓
大天守と乾小天守を結ぶ2層の屋根付き通路（渡櫓）は、築城当初の1593年から1594年にかけて建設された。天守の正面玄関は、この渡櫓の地下1階部分にある。
奇妙なことに、2つの天守とそれをつなぐ構造物の床は一致していない。渡櫓と乾小天守の1階と2階は同じ高さだが、大天守のそれは高い。そのため、渡櫓の1階から入城した人は、大天守の1階まで1.4メートルも上らなければならない。
渡櫓の2階にある巨大な横木のひとつは、その材料となった木の曲がったままの形で残されている。このような梁は、自然のままの形を保つことで、地震が起きたときに伸縮しやすくなると考えられていた。
渡櫓に展示されているものは、大天守の修理の際に発見されたものだ。天守閣の建築に使われた大きな釘や木材のサンプル、屋根瓦などが展示されている。また、屋根の棟の端に被せる装飾瓦（鬼瓦）も数種類展示している。鬼瓦には、松本藩主の家紋や鬼の顔が描かれていることが多い。鬼瓦の恐ろしい表情は、魔除けとして城を守ると考えられていた。
Roofed Passage (Watari Yagura)
The two-story Roofed Passage that connects the Great Keep to the Northwest Tower was built during the first phase of castle construction, between 1593 and 1594. The castle’s main entrance is on the first floor of the Roofed Passage.
Oddly, the floor of the Great Keep does not align with that of the Northwest Tower. The first and second floors of the Roofed Passage and Northwest Tower are the same height, but those of the Great Keep are higher. Due to this difference, a person entering the castle on the first floor of the Roofed Passage must climb 1.4 meters to reach the first floor of the Great Keep.
One of the huge crossbeams on the second floor of the Roofed Passage has been left in the curved shape of the tree from which it was made. It was thought that keeping such beams in their natural shapes would allow them to flex and bend more easily during an earthquake.
The items on display in the Roofed Passage were found during repairs to the Great Keep. The display includes large nails and samples of wood used in the keep’s construction, as well as an assortment of roof tiles. Several styles of ornamental roof tiles that were used to cap the ends of roof ridges (onigawara) are also displayed. These tiles were often decorated with the family crest of the current lord of Matsumoto or with the face of an ogre or demon (oni). The fearsome expressions depicted on the tiles were thought to protect the castle by warding off evil.
