天守 (tenshu) is the Japanese word for a castle tower. There are only 12 original tenshu left in Japan. I visited them all over a couple of years and made some simple videos. You can find a map of the 12 and a little more information on this page.
Hirosaki castle is the furthest north of the remaining original castle keeps. It’s way way up in Aomori prefecture, birthplace of the Fuji apple.
In February every year, Hirosaki has a lantern festival so I thought this would be a great time to go up and see the castle.
Unfortunately, the castle keep itself is closed between the end of November and the end of March – I imagine that’s to protect it from the elements.
On the other hand, I was grateful I didn’t have to scoot around a freezing cold wooden floor in my socks in sub zero conditions, so you know: silver linings.
Hirosaki Castle (弘前城, Hirosaki-jō) is a hirayama-style Japanese castle constructed in 1611. It was the seat of the Tsugaru clan, a 47,000 koku tozama daimyō clan who ruled over Hirosaki Domain, Mutsu Province, in what is now central Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It was also referred to as Takaoka Castle (鷹岡城 or 高岡城, Takaoka-jō).
Hirosaki Castle – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Quick translation of the above for the less castle-y inclined: a hirayama castle is one that is built on a lowland hill. The 47,000 koku refers to rice production. 1 koku is the amount of rice it takes to feed one person for a year. As for tozama daimyo? The Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 saw the end of the warring states period, the ascendancy of the Tokugawa shogunate and a unified Japan. A tozama daimyo is a term which refers to a feudal lord who only became a vassal of the Tokugawa clan after the battle, no matter which side they had fought on.)
Hirosaki castle itself isn’t currently where it’s supposed to be; in 2013, they moved the castle keep off the foundations so they could do some preservation work. When you come through the castle park, you arrive at a bridge and you can see the top of the tower through the trees.
The castle keep itself should be about 100 metres closer to you. It’s quite a surreal experience seeing the naked foundations and an extremely shortened castle keep. I highly recommend watching the moving process on YouTube. Here are a few links you could try.
Hirosaki castle was built in 1611 but the structure that remains nowadays is, if I recall correctly, actually one of the former yagura (watchtowers). The original 5 storey keep was struck by lightning in 1627. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the 9th Tsugaru daimyo got around to rebuilding but, in the end, decided to just move one of the 3 storey towers instead.
Hirosaki is a long way from Tokyo, but worth the visit if you’re ever in the north of Japan. I’m planning to make my next trip when it’s a bit warmer.
CityHillsAndSea 