Aizu-wakamatsu and surroundings,

Fukushima Prefecture, Northern Honshu, Japan (May-June 2025)

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The castle town of Aizu-wakamatsu is known across Japan as the site of a major battle during the Boshin war (1868-1869), which was fought immediately after the Meiji restoration (January 1868) between the Imperial forces and forces still supporting the former Tokugawa shogunate. A supporter of the shogunate, the Aizu lord sided against the new government and his Tsuruga castle was one of the last strongholds to fight the Imperial army (battle of Aizu). After a month of bloody resistance around the castle, his numerically inferior army was defeated in October 1868. In this battle a group of teenage soldiers, the Byakkotai, became famous (see below).

This page shows photos of various sites in the current city of Aizu-wakamatsu and its surroundings (Ensoji and Kitakata).

To see the locations of the places pictured below, click here. (A Google map with red markers will open in a new tab.)

Statue of two Byakkotai soldiers.

The Byakkotai (白虎隊; "White Tiger Unit") was a squad of about 300 teenage students from the Nisshinkan samurai school of the Aizu domain. As the Aizu forces were outnumbered, they were called upon to fight during the Boshin war. Today, they are considered symbols of brotherhood and loyalty to their lord. This bronze statue stands in front of the station of Aizu-wakamatsu.

Neighborhood around Nanokamachi-dori.

A variety of buildings dating from the Edo-period are scattered in this neighborhood located a short distance southwest of the station.

Window display of a store that appears to date from the 1960s located in one of the buildings.

Facade of the Suehiro sake brewery:

Small shrine above a large painting inside the Suehiro sake brewery.

Figurine representing Sendai Shiro, the god of fortune, sitting next to a bottle of sake in the Suehiro sake brewery.

Kuras (former warehouses made of thick adobe walls) restored as houses, shops, or hotels. [For more details, see further down the section ″Kura of Kitakata″.]

Tsuruga castle.

It is located about 2.5km south of the Aizu-wakamatsu station. The original castle, built in 1384, was destroyed in 1874 after the Boshin war. The current castle is a reconstruction from the 1960s. The red color of the roof tiles, their original color, is unique among Japanese castles. The moat and some defensive walls around the castle are original.

Moat and walls around the castle.

Views of the castle from different sides.

Trunks of old cherry trees in the park surrounding the castle.

Small pavilions in the castle's park. They were moved before the castle's destruction and reinstalled in the castle grounds in the 1990s.

Small Inari shrine in the castle's park and two statues of foxes standing before the shrine. The foxes are the protectors and messengers of Inari, the kami (Shinto god) of agriculture and general prosperity.

Oyakuen.

Located 1.5km northeast of the castle, this traditional Japanese landscape garden is centered around a pond. It was created several centuries ago and remodeled many times since.

Iimoriyama.

Iimoriyama is a hill located 3km northeast of the Tsuruga castle. It is famous for being the site where, in 1868, a group of 20 members of the Byakotai, believing that the Tsuruga castle had been burned down by the Imperial forces, committed seppuku (one of them survived). A most interesting sight on this hill is the perhaps lesser-known Sazaedo pagoda.

View over part of Aizu-wakamatsu from Iimoriyama.

Gravestones of the 19 Byakotai members who died here committing seppuku.

Sazaedo (栄螺堂, meaning ″spiral hall″). This unusual, 16.5m-high, octagonal wooden structure was built in 1796 on Iimoriyama. Its floorless interior consists of a double-helix ramp around a central column, which allows a visitor to reach the top of the structure and return in one continuous walk without having to repeat the same path. Thirty-three statues of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy, once stood along the double helix, allowing pilgrims to pray at each one without crossing paths. (Thirty-three is the number of manifestations of Kannon, each one associated with a distinct way in which she helps people in needs.) So, pilgrims coming to the Sazaedo could complete a miniature version of the Bando Sanjusankasho (坂東三十三箇所), a much longer pilgrimage through a series of 33 Buddhist temples dedicated to Kannon located in what is now the Kanto region of Japan. The Sazaedo was the brainchild of a monk named Ikudo.

Ugashindo shrine, located near the Sazaedo pagoda. The third lord of Aizu, Masakata Matsudaira (1669-1731), is entombed in this shrine.

Enzoji (圓蔵寺).

This Buddhist temple stands atop a cliff overlooking the Tadami river in the small town of Yanaizu, about 20km west of the Aizu-wakamatsu station. Founded in the 9th century, it is dedicated to Kokuzo Bosatsu, a bodhisattva renowned for his wisdom. It is also the site of a legend known throughout the Aizu region. After the temple's main hall (the Kikukodo) was destroyed by a powerful earthquake in 1611, villagers donated timber to build a new hall, but transporting it to the temple was difficult. Legend has it that a herd of red cows then appeared out of nowhere and helped carry the timber. These cows (which later suddenly disappeared) were nicknamed Akabeko and became a symbol of devotion to the Buddha. Starting in the 17th century, they inspired the creation of a toy in the shape of a stylized red cow, today emblematic of the entire Aizu region.

The Tadami river and the red Zuikoji bridge that crosses it, seen from the temple.

The Iwaiya confectionery located on the street below the temple. It makes and sells awamanju, Yanaizu's version of traditional Japanese manju. Unlike manju, awamanju are made from millet and have a slightly grainy texture.

Partial view of the temple's main hall (the Kikukodo) from the street below.

The Niomon, the main gate to the temple, with two giant waranji. A type of sandals made of rice straw rope, waranji were common footwear in Japan until the 19th century. They are still used today by some pilgrims.

View of the southeastern side of the Kikukodo.

Wood carving above the southeastern entrance door of the Kikukodo.

Decorated waniguchi (flat round hollow metal slit gong) above the entrance door on the southwestern side of the Kikukodo (the side facing the Tadami river).

In the context of the Akabeko legend, it is not surprising that the temple grounds feature several cow statues, some made of stone, others of metal.

There is even a statue representing a large-scale model of the iconic Akabeko toy, next to the temple's shoro (bell tower).

The lion guardian of the temple seems to feel lonely among so many cows.

Left and center: Chozuya (pavilions providing water for purification before prayer). Right: Statue of Fudo-myo-o, a popular deity of Japanese Buddhism, housed in the chozuya of the middle photo.

The Treasure Hall, located further up in the compound behind the main temple area.

Building housing the priests and monks of the temple.

Kura of Kitakata.

Kura (倉) are traditional Japanese, highly fire-resistant storehouses built to protect valuable goods, especially rice and other grains. Most are built with thick earthen walls mixing clay and straw, reinforced with a wooden frame, and covered with a thin layer of plaster to protect them from rain and snow. Perhaps their most striking architectural feature is the stepped interlocking design, called janbara (蛇腹), of the perimeters of their windows and doors. This design is intended to provide tight seal when shutters and doors are closed, thus improving the kura's resistance to fire.

Such kura are found in many parts of Japan. However, Kitakata, a town located 16km north of Aizu-wakamatsu, has an especially large number of them. Some have been remodeled to become shops, restaurants, sake breweries, residences, inns, and more. Many are simply abandoned. The numerous kura in the neighborhood located 1 to 2 km northeast of the Kitakata station, on both sides of the Tazuki river, create a unique urban landscape.

Left: Abandoned kura. Right: Wall with wooden frame seen from inside a kura.

Windows of kura, with their stepped shutters.

Renovated kura.

Shingu Kumano shrine, Kitakata

This Shinto shrine is located 4.5km southwest of the Kitakata station. It is believed to have been founded in the mid-11th century by Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, a samurai lord who victoriously led the Imperial forces against rebellious forces of the north during the Zenkunen war (1051-1062). Its most remarkable building, probably unique in Japan, is the Nagatoko, a large thatched prayer hall without walls, opened to the elements.

Wooden torii with a hanging shimenawa (sacred twisted ropes made of rice straw) at the entrance of the path leading to the Nagatoko.

Views of the Nagatoko (長床, meaning ″long floor″) from several angles. Its slightly raised wooden floor forms a rectangular area measuring 27.72m x 12.12m. It is covered by a thatched hipped roof supported by 44 cylindrical wooden pillars, each 45cm in diameter. It is said to have been used for ascetic training of priests and for Kagura dance rituals.

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