Oops! Please allow me to make an important correction. Matsumoto Castle has one of the 12 surviving wooden keeps in Japan. There are thousands of castles in Japan and many that still have wooden buildings like places, turrets and gates from the Edo period or earlier. Nijo Castle in Kyoto is a great example. But only 12 keeps (donjon) remain that date before 1868. The other keeps that we can see today are modern reconstructions. Unfortunately, many people, both Japanese and foreign, make the mistake of claiming that here are "12 original castles". It's been very widely published, so no blame to Svenywhere for repeating it again here.
Oops! Please allow me to make an important correction. Matsumoto Castle has one of the 12 surviving wooden keeps in Japan. There are thousands of castles in Japan and many that still have wooden buildings like places, turrets and gates from the Edo period or earlier. Nijo Castle in Kyoto is a great example. But only 12 keeps (donjon) remain that date before 1868. The other keeps that we can see today are modern reconstructions. Unfortunately, many people, both Japanese and foreign, make the mistake of claiming that here are "12 original castles". It's been very widely published, so no blame to Svenywhere for repeating it again here.
Damn surprisingly how wrong this has been widely published and definitely good to know!