Tsurugajo Castle

Just a short one today because my fingers feel like lead and my brain feels like… let’s just say lead fingers so that I don’t have to think of a new metaphor.

I wanted to post this photo of the Tsurugajo Castle that I took in Aizu (again, please click on the photo for a better version). It was a holiday weekend and there were lots of people around – I was lucky to get a shot with so few people in it. This is also the castle that rests in the background of many of my samurai photos.

The castle itself was begun in 1384 and it was completed and damaged or destroyed several times over the next 500 years by both conflict and earthquakes. As the castle was rebuilt over the years, it took on different forms. At one time, the castle stood 7 stories high before it was destroyed by an earthquake and then rebuilt into the 5 story structure that resembles its present incarnation.

The current castle is considered a restoration and was built in 1965, after the original castle was finally destroyed in 1874 and the castle grounds were declared a national historical site in 1934. Now, the castle is actually a museum that features exhibits from Aizu’s local histories.

Unfortunately, there is not much Englsih in the museum, so I couldn’t get much out of the exhibits. Aizu basically rests within a bowl-like valley, with the castle in the middle.
Aside from being an attractive monument, the view from the top is also worth seeing.