Hirosaki and surroundings,

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

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Hirosaki is the former seat of the heads of the Tsugaru clan, who consolidated their position as local daimyo after the battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and ruled the western part of present-day Aomori Prefecture throughout the Edo period (1603-1868). The city grew up around Hirosaki-koen, a vast park where the Hirosaki castle is located.

This page shows pictures of Hirosaki, Kudoji and Iwakiyama jinja (respectively, a Buddhist temple and a Shinto shrine, both located west of Hirosaki), and Kuroishi (a small town northwest of Hirosaki).

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

Hirosaki castle.

The original five-story keep of the Hirosaki castle was built in 1611. But it was destroyed by fire just 16 years later, struck by lightning. It was rebuilt much later, in 1810, as a smaller three-story keep, which survived the Meiji restoration and is thus one of the 12 castle keeps in Japan not to have been rebuilt in modern time.

[Work to renovate the keep's foundations, which began in 2023, is expected to last until 2028. To access these foundations, the keep was moved roughly 70m and installed on a temporary base. In the two photos below, it is therefore not exactly in its original location.]

Another view of the castle keep, with Mount Iwaki in the background. Located west of Hirasaki, Mount Iwaki (1625m) is the highest mountain in the Aomori prefecture.

Castle gates.

Five castle gates, including the following three, are also original structures. They were guarding the accesses to the castle.

Castle turrets (yagura).

Three turrets in Hirosaki-koen are also original structures that protected the castle. This is one of them.

Cherry trees in Hirosaki-koen.

Hirosaki-koen is also famous for its thousands of cherry trees lining three consecutive moats surrounding the castle.

Ishiba family residence.

Located just north of Hirosaki-koen, this residence was built around the middle of the Edo period. Since then, it has belonged to a family of merchants selling household goods, and it remains so today.

Interior of the shop. A little messy, but the dog is friendly.

Interior of the residence. It has not changed much since the Edo period and retains its traditional irori (sunken hearths).

Former samurai residences.

These residences are located a little further north of the Ishiba family residence.

Left: Umeda house. Right: Armor in the Sasamori house.

Left: Iwata house. Right: Armor in the Iwata house.

Fujita Kinen Teien (藤田記念庭園).

In 1919, Fujita Kenichi (1873-1946), a prosperous businessman from Hirosaki, built his Western-style villa with a large Japanese-style garden just southwest of Hirosaki-koen. The city of Hirosaki acquired this property in 1989, restored it, called it ″Fujita Kinen Teien″, and opened it to the public in 1991. Its garden extends over two levels separated by a 13m-high cliff.

Stone pagoda in the upper part of the garden.

Left: Old cherry tree in the lower part of the garden. Right: Waterfall between the upper and lower parts of the garden.

Other view of the waterfall and the red bridge that crosses it.

Saishoin.

Located on a small hill about 1km south of Hirosaki-koen, this Buddhist temple of the Shingon school was built in the 17th century. It is known for its five-story pagoda.

Entrance gate (Niomon) of the temple. The pagoda is partially visible on the left of the photo. The two Nio statues housed in both sides of the gate are the oldest in Aomori Prefecture.

- Left: 31.2m-high pagoda of Saishoin. It was built as a memorial to all those who died in the wars between the Nanbu and Oura (later Tsugaru) clans that led to the establishment of the Tsugaru region. Planned by the third Tsugaru lord Nobuyoshi (1619-1655), its construction was completed in 1667 under the reign of the fourth Tsugaru lord Nobumasa (1646-1710).

- Center: Statue of Kubai, posthumously called Kobo-Daishi, the founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism.

- Right: Small hexagonal hall, called the Rokkakudo. A statue of Nyoirin Kannon, a manifestation of the bodhisattva Kannon (the Japanese goddess of mercy) is enshrined in it.

Sazaedo (六角堂, spiral hall).

This eye-catching octagonal vermilion building stands at the eastern end of the Zenringai district, a long street lined with 33 Zen Buddhist temples, all of the Soto school. It was built in 1839 by a wealthy merchant, Nakata Kahei, to commemorate people who died during the devastating Tenmei (1782-1788) and Tenpo (1833-1837) famines. Its interior includes a straight staircase and a spiral staircase, which makes only one and a half turns to reach the top. The entrance is adorned with a statue of Kannon. Overall, this Sazaedo looks like a simplified imitation of the earlier Sazaedo at Aizu-Wakanatsu (see here).

Choshoji.

Most of the temples in the Zenringai district do not look special (except perhaps for Zen Buddhist practitioners). But Choshoji at the western end of the district, about 1.5km southwest of the castle, is quite remarkable. It was founded in 1528 in the port city of Ajigasawa on the Sea of Japan, 28km northwest of Hirosaki. It was moved to its current location in 1610 to coincide with the construction of the Hirosaki castle. It then served as the family temple of the Tsugaru clan.

The Sanmon, the main entrance gate into the temple's grounds. It is an imposing 16m-high wooden structure built in 1629. The main hall (hondo) is partially visible through the opening of the gate. The priests' quarters are partially visible on the right of the photo, behind the bell tower (a smaller structure with a red base).

The priests' quarters, a thatched-roof building that also includes the temple's kitchen.

The hondo is a large rectangular structure, approximatively 25m long and 19m wide. Its interior (pictured below) consists of a series of eight rooms opening into a single, straight corridor.

Altar in the hondo.

This much smaller building, opposite to the priests' quarters, has a mysterious sign above its door, 蒼龍窟. It reads ″Soryukutsu″, which translates to ″Cave of the blue dragon″. It was very tempting to see what was inside.

Three pictures of the interior of the Soryukutsu:

- Three wooden Buddhist statues framed by a beautifully decorated single-bay wooden altar topped with a wide roof. The three statues, collectively called a sanzonbutsu (三尊仏, meaning ″three Buddha statues″), represent Amida Nyorai, Yakushi Nyorai, and Eleven-Headed Kannon (from left to right). They are believed to have been made during the Momoyama period (1573-1603).

- About 100 statues representing a subset of the 500 rakans (a group of early disciples of the Buddha who have attained enlightenment) divided in two equal groups on the left and right sides of the sanzonbutsu.

- Six of eighteen statues standing on two shelves against the side walls and representing the 18 arhats. Like the 500 rakans, they are early enlightened disciples of the Buddha. But, according to Buddhist tradition, they chose to wait on earth to protect the Buddha's teachings until the coming of the future Buddha.

The statues in the Soryukutsu, as well as the altar framing the sanzonbutsu, were originally housed in what is now Iwakiyama jinja, a Shinto shrine located at the foot of Mount Iwaki (see the ″Iwakiyama jinja″ section below). The three statues of the sanzonbutsu were donated in 1610 by Tsugaru Nobuhira, the second Tsugaru lord, and were then associated with the three distinct peaks of Mount Iwaki. The altar was added later, in 1638, by Tsugaru Nobuyoshi, the third Tsugaru lord. In 1868, following the Shinbutsu Bunri edict (the law separating Shinto and Buddhism), they were moved to Choshoji and installed in the pre-existing Soryukutsu. Unfortunately, this building was too small. It could only accommodate 100 rakans; so, the remaining 400 rakans were stored elsewhere. Furthermore, the altar was too deep to fit in, so its back wall had to be cut away (as can be noticed in a photo above). But none of this eventful history explains the building's name, ″Cave of the blue dragon″, which remains mysterious.

Kudoji.

Located at the foot of Mount Kudoji, 8km southwest of the Hirosaki castle, Kudoji is a temple of the Chisan school of Shingon Buddhism. It is believed to have been founded around 800 and relocated here in the 12th century, where it was rebuilt in 1626. Its main deities are Kannon and Fudo-myo-o, two important deities in Japanese Buddhism.

Stone statues of lion-dog guardians at the base of the long stone stairway leading to the temple buildings.

Left: The stone stairway seen from its base. Center: Stela with a carving representing Kobo-Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism. Right: Stela with a carving representing Fudo-myo-o. These two stelae stand midway up the stairway.

The stairway seen from the top.

Altar in the temple's Hondo. It is unusually cluttered with wooden tablets, decorative curtains, and multiple other objects. The statue in the background, in the center of the photo, represents Fudo-myo-o flanked with his two attendants (barely visible) at his sides.

The Kannondo, a small hall dedicated to Kannon.

Left: Dressed-up horse statue, next to the Kannondo. Right: Close-up of one of the tablets in the Kannon sekizo-gun (see next two photos).

Field covered with more than a hundred similar stone tablets, called the Kannon sekizo-gun (観音石像群, meaning ″group of stone statues of Kannon″). All the tablets feature the same engraving of Kannon, but each bears a distinct inscription, at least some mentioning the names of Japanese cities. The field appears to be a memorial, perhaps dedicated to those who died in past wars or famines in various parts of Japan.

Iwakiyama jinja

Iwakiyama jinja is a Shinto shrine located at the foot of Mount Iwaki, on its southeastern side, 11km west of central Hirosaki. Many centuries ago, Mount Iwaki was already a place of religious practice for the local Emishi tribes. Later, in 1091, a Shingon Buddhist temple, Hyakutakuji, was founded there. Its main deities, Amida Nyorai, Yakushi Nyorai, and Kannon, were associated with the three distinct peaks of Mount Iwaki. As the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, known as Shinbutsu Shugo, dominated Japanese religious practices for centuries, this temple became used both as a Buddhist temple and a Shinto shrine.

In 1868, following the Shinbutsu Bunri edict, the Hyakutakuji temple/shrine was officially designated a national Shinto shrine named Iwakiyama jinja. Explicit references to Buddhism were removed, some being transferred to Choshoji in Hirosaki (see the ″Choshoji″ section above). Nevertheless, the shrine still includes some Buddhist-style structures, such as the Romon. Several kami are enshrined at Iwakiyama jinja. The main one, Okuninushi (大国主), is associated with healing, protective magic, and good relationships.

View from the entrance to the shrine complex, with Mount Iwaki in the background.

Statue of Ebisu in front of the small Okufuji Izumo shrine, located to the left of the long walkway leading to the main buildings of Iwakiyama jinja, just past the second torii. Ebisu is the Japanese god of luck and prosperity, and the patron of fishermen (note that he holds a fish in his left hand). He is original to Japan, without any Buddhist or Taoist influence.

The Romon, a massive two-story vermilion gate, through which one passes before reaching the main part of the Iwakiyama jinja. Built in 1628 at the beginning of the Edo period, its style is a reminder of the shrine's Buddhist past.

Statues called Tamagaki Komainu (玉垣狛犬). They represent lion-dog guardians clinging to the two pillars of the stone fence surrounding the Romon. One is said to bring financial luck and the other good relationships.

Gatekeepers housed inside the Romon to prevent evil spirits from entering.

Entrance gate to the shrine's haiden (worship hall). The decorations beneath its roof combine complex shapes and vibrant colors that are reminiscent of the Momoyama period (1573-1603). The second photo below is a close-up of one of the two similar protruding painted sculptures.

Decorated gable wall of the Honden, the hall where the kami reside.

Shinto priest performing rituals, next to the haiden.

Old building serving as the priests' quarters.

Gumonji.

This small Shingon Buddhist temple is located a short walk east of Iwakiyama jinja. It was founded in 1625. Its main hall was rebuilt in 1893 and again in 1957.

View of the main hall, with statues of an ox and a tiger in front. The other statue on the right of the photo is that of Kobo-Daishi.

Rows of carved stone stelae within the precinct.

A quite unusual sight in this temple is a small hall called the Ema Hall. Inside, its back wall and two side walls are completely covered with painted wooden plaques. Its interior is mostly occupied by a large horse statue. There are also small horse statues on the ground on both sides of the large one. What does this hall stand for?

Today, in most Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines throughout Japan, ema are small wooden plaques on which worshippers wrote prayers or wishes. But the term ″ema″ is the pronunciation of 絵馬, in which 絵 means ″picture″ and 馬 means ″horse″. In fact, in ancient times, to obtain divine favors, people were donating horses to temples. They considered these horses as the bearers of their requests. To reduce the cost of this practice, wooden plaques featuring painted horses were later offered, instead of actual horses. Then, over time, the plaques became smaller and smaller, and the painted horses were replaced with short written prayers or wishes and occasional simple drawings.

The Ema Hall in Gumonji is a repository of former painted wooden votive plaques. Most date from the early 20th century. Many have horses painted on them.

The two pictures below show the left and right sides of the Ema Hall.

Close-ups of some votive plaques.

Kuroishi.

Located about 12km northeast of central Hirosaki, the small town of Kuroishi is best known for a 160m section of the Nakamachi street, called Nakamachi Komise. This section is lined on both sides with well-preserved Edo-period wooden houses, the eaves of which form continuous covered walkways, called ″komise″ (小見世), providing protection from heavy snowfalls in winter and the sun in summer. Most of these houses were once breweries, rice merchant houses, kimono stores, and more. Some (mainly breweries) still operate today, while others have been remodeled for new commercial activities.

Former fire station near Nakamachi Komise street.

View of a portion of Nakamachi Komise.

The following 7 photos show various houses along Nakamachi Komise (in no specific order).

Nakamura Kamekichi sake brewery. Its sugidama (balls made of branches of cedar trees) is 2.1m in diameter and weighs 1.5t.

Bicycle passing in front of the Nakamura Kamekichi sake brewery.

Narumi Family brewery.

Takahashi house, a former rice merchant store.

Former bathhouse known as Matsu-no-yu, now a kind of community center.

Other houses.

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