Located in the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture, Tsuruga Castle was historically eastern Japan’s largest castle, a display of wealth and power by the ruling daimyo family.

History of Tsuruga Castle

A castle has stood on this site since 1384, when the then-ruling Ashina clan built a palace at the crossroads on a main highway through which visitors from the north, east and west travelled south and vice versa. It was known as the Kurokawa Castle (meaning “black river castle”). During the Sengoku Period (Japanese Period of Warring States), the castle changed hands a number of times through force, finally coming under control of one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi main generals, Gamo Ujisato. He rebuilt the castle in 1593 into what we see and know today, renaming it to Tsuruga Castle. It also goes by the name Aizu Castle or Wakamatsu Castle by the locals.

At the time of this reconstruction, Tsuruga Castle was built was a seven-storey castle keep (called a tenshu). This was unheard of then and even today – standard tenshu only went up to 5 floors (although Matsumoto Castle (松本城) had a additional secret half-floor).

Ujisato as well as the Toyotomi clan was eventually demoted in importance through wars, which led to the Kato clan eventually taking control of Tsuruga Castle and changing the layout, making it more imposing. However, in 1611, the castle was damaged severely – so much so that the tenshu had to be rebuilt. The current version, with five storeys, is based of the reconstruction done at this time.

The Kato clan lost the castle in 1643 and it was given to Hoshina Masayuki of the Matsudaira clan, who developed commerce and agriculture in the region, creating a powerhouse that would last to the end of the Edo period. A supporter of the Tokugawa Shogunate, it was one of the most important strongholds in the Tohoku region (Honshu’s northernmost region) and was one of the strongest domains in military terms.

Unfortunately, this support would be its undoing during the Meiji Restoration. The Matsudaira clan lead the alliance against the new Meiji government, resulting in the Boshin War. In October 1868 the Battle of Aizu saw a traditional Japanese castle face off against new artillery imported from the west. For over a month the castle was shelled from the surrounding hills. The castle was surrendered and the Meiji government demolished what remained in 1874.

Tsuruga Castle today

The current castle keep was reconstructed using concrete in 1965. In 1991, a yagura (tower/turret) and connecting corridor were also reconstructed from plans from the original Tsuruga Castle. Another unique feature of its reconstruction is the red roof tiles, the only castle in Japan to have tiles of this colour.

Another feature that you can visit today is a tea room called Rinkaku, which was restored based on original designs; it is a Fukushima Prefecture Important Culture Property. Tea ceremonies are held here throughout the day at specific times that visitors can paricipate in.

Tsuruga Castle Museum

The castle today holds a museum that recounts the history of the castle I recounted above through exhibits, multimedia and artefacts. Here are some of those exhibits:

One exhibits that I really liked were the samurai helmet recreations of the last clan to hold the castle – Matsudaira. As military powerhouses, they wanted to stand out on the battle field, showcasing their bravery and making sure that no one could accuse them of cowardice. That lead to these helmet designs:

Today, we might label these fashion statements!

Tea house and garden

In the grounds of the castle across from the main entrance to the keep is the reconstructed tea house and gardens. Here, you can join tea ceremonies, which are held at set times during the day. There is an extra fee that you need to pay to participate, although the “café” part is open the entire time.

During my visit, they did not have any availability for the tea ceremonies, so I did not participate.

Getting there and entrance information

Transportation

Tsuruga Castle sits in the middle of Aizu-Wakamatsu, so getting there is relatively simple. From Fukushima city, you can take a coach that goes to Aizu-Wakamatsu. One of the stops after the JR Aizu-Wakamatsu Station is the main arcade of the historic section of the town, which is near the castle.

If you are coming from Tokyo, you can also take the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Koriyama Station and then change to a local JR train to Aizu-Wakamatsu Station.

Within Aizu-Wakamatsu, there is a local bus pass that is aimed at tourists. A One-Day pass (unlimited rides) costs ¥600 for an adult; a single ticket costs approximately ¥220, so as long as you ride more than twice in the day, you will save money. There is also an electronic version that you can use via QR code, which is available here (Google Play, Apple Store).

Entering Tsuruga Castle

Entrance to the castle grounds is free. The only paid parts are the keep, the tower and the tea house. When you buy a combined ticket, you can enter all three with the same ticket one time. An adult combined ticket costs ¥510. Alternatively, you can by individual tickets: the castle for ¥450 and the tea house for ¥150.

As Tsuruga Castle is not accessible, so those with disabilities will most likely find it difficult to get around the castle. Although it is a modern castle (meaning the staircases also follow modern standards, rather than the tradition ladder-like stairs found in original castles), there are 5 storeys to get to the top of, so keep that in mind. The route also includes all the floors and there are no shortcuts.

Thanks for reading! Want to do some more exploring? Have a look at the travel map:

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