Sitting less than an hour southwest of Aomori city by train, Hirosaki is home to something rare in Japan: an original castle. While most were rebuilt in the 1950s-1980s for tourism purposes, Hirosaki Castle is among the 12 original surviving castles.
However, it has an additional uniqueness even among this rare crowd. The others, such as Matsumoto Castle (松本城), were meant to be the main keep; they were often imposing and the largest building in the castle. However, due to Hirosaki’s history, Hirosaki Castle has a secret.
History
Hirosaki Castle has a fascinating history. Work began on the original castle in 1603. After some difficulties (e.g. the death of the original lord of the Tsugaru Clan, who was granted the region), it was completed in 1611. It was a grand castle with five storeys. However, just over 15 years later, in 1627, it was struck with lightning and destroyed by fire.
When the original castle was built, it was considered too massive for a holding the size of Hirosaki. It was the beginning of the Edo (samurai) period, and the Shogunate was wary of this disproportionately sized fortress. Fortunately for the Shogunate, the clan entered a rough period with riots and conflicts. This, along with later generations’ mismanagement and corruption, led to the castle remaining as it was: a shadow of its former self. Things turned around in the early 1800s when the clan’s support for the government led to prosperity.
The Current Castle
The current 3-storey castle was built in 1810, but due to the unrest of the time, the clan was not allowed to rebuild it as the original had been nearly 200 years prior. Instead, they came up with a different plan. Rather than rebuilding a huge keep, they would build what looked to be a simple tower on the castle wall. It looks like other towers you see on the castle grounds from the outside. Only inside do you realise this is the castle’s true keep.
In 1871, during the Meiji era, the old Han system (feudal lord holdings) was abolished, and prefectures were created. The old feudal lords had to hand over their castles and holdings to the imperial government to become governors and lords in the new system. Most of Hirosaki Castle was subsequently deconstructed in 1873, although the castle survived as it was used as a garrison.
In 1894, the Tsugaru clan donated the castle to the local government with the stipulation that it be turned into a park, which happened the following year. This saved the castle from being destroyed, although the imperial government stripped the castle of all bronze during the Second World War.
Since the 1950s, Hirosaki Castle has been protected under successive cultural protection systems. Today, it is one of only 12 surviving castles and is also considered one of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan.
Today
Hirosaki Castle is located in the heart of Hirosaki Castle Park, overlooking the Botanical and Fujita Memorial Gardens. At only 14.4 metres high, it is much smaller than other Japanese castles. It also sat on the walls until 2015.
After the disastrous earthquake and tsunami in 2011, it was discovered that the walls of Hirosaki Castle (on which the main keep stood) had many cracks and were becoming unstable, so something needed to be done.
It was decided that to repair the walls, the keep needed to be moved, so it was lifted and moved, as you can see below:
It currently sits in the location at the end of the video.
Getting to Hirosaki Castle and Entrance
Getting to Hirosaki Castle from Hirosaki Station is simple. You can hop on numbers 1, 21, 30, 40, 43, 350, 601, or 657. Google Maps is excellent for Hirosaki and getting directions, so it is worth seeing if there are any other options I have not covered here.
While entering the castle grounds is free, the inner area of the modern castle is not. You can pay ¥300 to enter or ¥520 for a combined ticket to enter the castle, the Botanical Garden and the Fujita Memorial Garden.
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3 responses to “Hirosaki Castle: One of Japan’s original ones”
Was pondering while I read why I had never heard of a Japanese castle. Thanks to a quick online search, I discovered they are called Shiro rather than Castle. A shiro I have heard of.
The official name of most Japanese castles includes the term “castle” (e.g. on Google Maps and the official website for this one, it is called “Hirosaki Castle”), whereas “shiro” (城) is the generic Japanese term for a castle and “jo” is used when part of the name (e.g. “Hirosaki-jo” 弘前城) because of onyomi vs kunyomi.
Here is the official website for Hirosaki Park (including the castle): https://www.hirosakipark.com/en/