Aizuwakamatsu: Exploring the Byakkotai and Tsurugajo

All buildings, including the main keep, were demolished by 1874, but the main keep was rebuilt in 1965, and in the Heisei era, the tea room and corner turrets were also restored. In 2011, the roof tiles were replaced with red tiles from the late Edo period, highlighting the beauty of the time.

It is said that the beginning was when Ashina Morihisa, the guardian of Aizu during the Muromachi period, built a villa in this area where a sacred spring bubbled up. Later, the founder of the Aizu Matsudaira clan, Matsudaira Masayuki, developed it into a daimyo garden, and the second lord, Masakane, established it as a medicinal herb garden for the prevention and treatment of illnesses for the people.

Aizu's local cuisine. Savor unique dishes such as herring with sansho and boiled dried cod, as well as koduyu.

It is said that the production of pottery began when the Aizu lord, Gamō Ujisato, had the tiles for the current Tsuruga Castle made. Later, in the early Edo period, Matsudaira Masayuki, the founder of the Aizu Matsudaira clan, invited potters from Owari to start full-scale production.

In the Battle of Tonokuchihara in the first year of the Meiji era (1868), the young members of the White Tiger Brigade suffered a decisive blow. As they fled through the tunnel to Mount Iimori, they mistakenly believed that Tsuruga Castle had fallen while watching the city fire, and the young members of the White Tiger Brigade committed suicide on the spot. (The image shows the Aizu Festival.)

Aizu's hidden retreat, Higashiyama Onsen, is said to have been discovered by the famous monk Gyoki about 1300 years ago and is a historic hot spring village counted among the Three Scenic Areas of Oushu. Enjoy the atmosphere of the past and soak your feet in the foot bath.