Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle (Tsuruga-jo)
会津若松城（鶴ヶ城） · Fukushima Prefecture · Aizuwakamatsu City
Otemachi area, Aizu-Wakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, now Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle (commonly Tsuruga-jo) Park; a flatland castle and one of Japan's 100 famous castles, whose present keep, rebuilt in 1965, is characterised by red roof tiles.
Know before you go
- Red lines: do not climb stone walls or moat railings
- do not touch museum exhibits. Taboos: do not make noise, play around or pose exaggeratedly at graves and memorials
- do not recount the Byakkotai story as sensational detail. Good manners: follow the museum route in order and hold rails on slippery stone steps after rain. Common pitfalls: (1) assuming the red-tiled keep is the late-Edo original — it is a 1965 reconstruction reroofed red in 2011
This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.
Stories & people
Stories & people
History
Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle (Tsuruga-jo) — the historical setting
The castle began as the Ashina clan's Kurokawa Castle; after 1590 Gamo Ujisato greatly rebuilt it and renamed it Wakamatsu, commonly called Tsuruga-jo; in the Edo period it was the Matsudaira Aizu domain's castle. In the 1868 Boshin War Battle of Aizu, the castle surrendered after about a month's siege, lord Matsudaira Katamori and others were punished, and the Aizu domain was abolished; the castle was dismantled in 1874, its keep rebuilt in 1965 and reroofed with red tiles in 2011 to recreate its late-Edo appearance.
Culture
Culture & customs
Background
The castle began as the Ashina clan's Kurokawa Castle; after 1590 Gamo Ujisato greatly rebuilt it and renamed it Wakamatsu, commonly called Tsuruga-jo; in the Edo period it was the Matsudaira Aizu domain's castle. In the 1868 Boshin War Battle of Aizu, the castle surrendered after about a month's siege, lord Matsudaira Katamori and others were punished, and the Aizu domain was abolished; the castle was dismantled in 1874, its keep rebuilt in 1965 and reroofed with red tiles in 2011 to recreate its late-Edo appearance.
Local customs
- (1) Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle keep (会津若松城天守) — Aizu history exhibits and top-floor Aizu basin views
- (2) Main and second bailey stone walls and moats (本丸・二の丸石垣・堀)
- (3) Rinkaku Tea House direction (麟閣茶室) — reconstructed tea house, entry rules per official notice
- (4) Mount Iimori direction (飯盛山方面) — Byakkotai graves and monuments direction, outside the castle, requiring a separate trip
- (5) Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle Park cherry walk (会津若松城公園桜散策) — spring moat cherries.
Etiquette & taboos
Etiquette & taboos
Don’t DON'T
- Red lines: do not climb stone walls or moat railings
- do not touch museum exhibits. Taboos: do not make noise, play around or pose exaggeratedly at graves and memorials
- do not recount the Byakkotai story as sensational detail. Good manners: follow the museum route in order and hold rails on slippery stone steps after rain. Common pitfalls: (1) assuming the red-tiled keep is the late-Edo original — it is a 1965 reconstruction reroofed red in 2011
- (2) treating Hijikata Toshizo as the castle's defender — he was a former-shogunate figure passing through the Aizu front northward, who finally died at Hakodate.
Locals appreciate DO
Please respect local residents, open areas, and on-site rules.
Plan your visit
Practical info
| Getting there | Intercity: Tohoku Shinkansen to Koriyama Station, then the JR Ban'etsu West Line to Aizu-Wakamatsu Station. Local: Aizu Loop Bus from Aizu-Wakamatsu Station toward the Tsuruga-jo entrance, or about a 30-minute walk. Pay by IC card or cash; keep entry on the order of a few hundred yen, per official prices. |
|---|
Travel tips
- Check the official notice for admission and opening hours
- keep entry on the order of a few hundred yen, per official prices. Aizu snow is deep in winter — bring anti-slip footwear and warm clothing
- it can pair with Nanokamachi old streets and Higashiyama Onsen directions, but allow bus time.
Sources & verification notes
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