Matsuyama Air Raid Site

The Matsuyama Great Air Raid (松山大空襲) took place from late on the night of July 26, 1945 into the early morning hours of July 27, when the city of Matsuyama in Ehime Prefecture was subjected to a massive incendiary bombing attack by the United States Army Air Forces. The raid was designated Mission No. 293 of the XXI Bomber Command.

A force of 128 B-29 Superfortress bombers from the 73rd Bombardment Wing approached via the Bungo Channel (豊後水道), flying northeast past Cape Sada (佐田岬) to reach the western airspace above Matsuyama. The first incendiary bombs fell on the Shinmachi district at approximately 11:30 PM on July 26. The bombers then executed a right turn and circled the castle mountain (城山) area, systematically dropping incendiary munitions for approximately two hours. The total ordnance expended was 896.0 US (short) tons, consisting of AN-M17A1 (15.0 tons), E-46 (470.0 tons), E-36 (16.6 tons), and AN-M47A2 (394.4 tons) incendiary weapons.

The destruction was immense. A total of 251 people were killed (117 men and 134 women) and 8 were reported missing. Of the city's total housing stock, 14,300 homes — representing 55% of all dwellings — were destroyed. The raid affected 62,200 residents, amounting to 53% of Matsuyama's entire population at the time. The city center was reduced to a burnt wasteland, with only scattered districts surviving the firestorm.

Matsuyama Castle (松山城), perched atop Mount Katsuyama at the heart of the targeted area, remarkably survived the conflagration. As one of only twelve Japanese castles retaining its original keep (天守), the castle's endurance through the firebombing is notable. However, the castle did not escape unscathed: eleven of its structures, including the Tenjin Turret, burned in the raid. (Most of the buildings around the main keep had already been lost in an arson attack on July 9, 1933.)

The July 26 raid was not Matsuyama's only wartime ordeal. The city experienced multiple air raids between February and August 1945, beginning with a carrier-aircraft attack on the naval air base on February 17 and including a B-29 raid on the base on May 4 that killed more than 70 people. Today, Matsuyama's Peace Memorial Park (平和記念広場), established in the former prefectural martial arts hall parking area, houses the War Victims Peace Prayer Monument and serves as the site for annual memorial ceremonies commemorating the victims of these raids.