Tsuruga Castle (Aizuwakamatsu)

Discover

About Tsuruga Castle (Aizuwakamatsu)

Tsuruga Castle, also called Aizuwakamatsu Castle, was the seat of the Aizu domain. The first fortress on the site dates to the 14th century; the Edo-period form, with the five-story keep, took shape at the end of the 16th and start of the 17th centuries. From 1643 the castle belonged to the Matsudaira clan, relatives of the Tokugawa shoguns.

In 1868, during the Boshin War, forces of the new imperial government besieged the castle for about a month. It withstood bombardment, but Aizu surrendered, and the buildings were demolished a few years later. The present keep is a concrete reconstruction from 1965. In 2011 the roof received glazed red tiles, like those that covered the castle in the 19th century, a unique case among Japanese castle keeps.

Inside the keep, the museum tells the story of the domain, the Boshin War and the Byakkotai, with armor, weapons and clan artifacts. From the top floor you can see the whole Aizu basin and Mount Bandai in the distance. The stone walls, moats and bridges are original and designated a National Historic Site.

On the grounds is the Rinkaku tea house, connected to the family of the tea master Sen no Rikyu, where you can have matcha with sweets. The park has about a thousand cherry trees, which usually bloom in mid-April and are lit at night. Entry to the keep is paid; the park has no admission fee.