Matsumoto Castle and Japanese black pine with storm clouds

Matsumoto, Japan

Prepare for War

Matsumoto was built to be looked at by someone deciding whether to attack it. Everything about the front elevation is doing that job — the mass of it, the black boards, the way it sits squarely behind the water with nothing soft about it. Inside, the tour runs all the way to the top past cases of period matchlocks and armour, with an amazing view at the top of all it was tasked with protecting.

We’d eaten lunch in town and come back in the afternoon. The grounds are laid out on a geometric path plan and I worked the leftmost one, using the Japanese black pines as an anchor on that side — they counterweight the keep and keep the frame from tipping.

Rain was coming. It held off for a few hours and gave me that sky in the meantime.

Nikon Z 7II · Nikkor Z 24-120mm · 51mm · f/10 · 1/800 sec · ISO 500

Limited Edition Print

Available as a limited edition fine art print, produced on demand in four finishes. Full sizing and materials are on the prints page.

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Frame 7 of 12

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