Three families of feudal rulers reigned in Matsue from 1600 to 1871: Horio (1600-1633), Kyogoku (1634-1637), and Matsudaira (1638-1871). Prior to the start of the stabilized Edo Era, the Amago and Mori clans vied for power over this region throughout the Warring States Era. After receiving the provinces of Izumo and Oki from the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu thanks to their active part in the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), the Horio clan took up residence in Gassan Toda Castle. However, the clan soon realized that this mountain castle was not in a good location to build a functional city around. They decided to build a new castle from scratch in a more suitable location, at the junction of Lake Shinji and Ohashi River, about 15 km northwest of Gassan Toda Castle. Located in
Yasugi, Gassan Toda Castle is now in ruins but is still considered one the greatest mountain castles of Japan.
Sadly, Horio Tadauji, who received his lands from the shogun, died at the age of 28 before construction commenced. As Tadauji’s son, Tadaharu, was too young to govern, it was his father, Yoshiharu, who took on the responsibility of constructing the castle. Yoshiharu passed away at age 69 before seeing the castle’s completion. Tadaharu became head of the Matsue domain until his death in 1633 without an heir. This illustration depicts Yoshiharu and his son Tadauji deciding about the location of their new castle.
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