Tsurugajo Castle (Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle)

Built in 1593 by feudal lord Gamo Ujisato, Tsurugajo Castle (also known as Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle) became the political and cultural heart of the Aizu domain during the Edo period, whose samurai were known for discipline and loyalty. It is said that when built by the Sengoku-period daimyo Kamo Ujisato, the castle keep had seven stories. However, after a devastating earthquake in 1611, the keep was replaced with its current five-story structure. Tsurugajo Castle’s red tile roof is the only one of its kind among Japanese castle keeps. Its special red roof tiles, fired with a special glaze making it resistant to freezing, was developed to withstand the brittle cold of winter, replacing the original black tiles common in warmer regions. In 2011, the tiles were restored to their historical red color, reviving the castle’s Edo period appearance.
In the waning days of the Edo period, Aizu stood as a key northern bastion of the shogunate. During the Boshin War, the castle withstood a fierce month-long siege, despite eventually surrendering to the imperial forces. Although dismantled in the early Meiji period (1874), the main keep was reconstructed in 1965. Today it houses a local history museum and offers immersive historical experiences, like AR experiences that bring the historic Honmaru Goten building to life, and exhibits about the Aizu domain’s samurai culture and its dramatic final battle.
The surrounding castle park, designated a National Historic Site, is famed for its seasonal beauty. The thousand cherry trees that blanket the Tsurugajo Castle gardens in spring, making it one of Japan’s “Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots.”