SilkCode LibraryCastles of Japan
No. 012Hokkaido & TohokuFukushima

Aizuwakamatsu Castle

会津若松城

Reconstructed buildings

Better known as Tsurugajo, this castle tells the story of Aizu. Its rebuilt red-tiled keep is a starting point for exploring stone walls, outer defences and successive alterations.

The keep and white-walled buildings of Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle
The keep and white-walled buildings of Aizu-Wakamatsu CastlePhoto: Katana213 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized and converted to WebP. Cards crop the display.This photograph shows the site at the time it was taken. Check the notes and official sources for current restoration work and access.

Get to know the castle

Castle at a glance

Site & layout
Hilltop-and-lowland castle with a rebuilt keep
Origins
Medieval origin; present keep built in 1965
Builders & patrons
Ashina clan, Gamo Ujisato, Kato clan and successors
Other names
Tsurugajo; Wakamatsu Castle
What remains today
Stone walls and moats; reconstructed keep and other buildings

THE STORY

The story behind the walls

Tradition traces the site to a residence built by Ashina Naomori in 1384. Gamo Ujisato developed an early-modern castle and completed a keep in 1593. Following earthquake damage, major Kato works reshaped the complex by 1639. Buildings were removed after the Boshin War; the keep was reconstructed in 1965.

LAYOUT & ARCHITECTURE

Read the landscape and the buildings.

Outer enclosures, masonry and moats protect the main bailey. The present five-tiered keep reconstructs a later appearance shaped by Kato rebuilding. Distinguishing the early keep, Edo-period alterations and modern reconstruction clarifies its development.

A CLOSER LOOK

Details worth a closer look.

01

Red-tiled keep

The keep was rebuilt in 1965 and reroofed with red tiles in 2011 to evoke its late-Edo appearance. The tiles also reflect adaptation to a snowy climate.

02

Outer enclosures and moats

The Kato developed western and northern outer enclosures. Exploring beyond the main bailey reveals defences much larger than the keep alone.

03

Aizu’s castle history

Displays and surviving masonry connect the castle’s Sengoku and late-Edo histories. The modern reconstruction is itself another chapter in that story.

THROUGH THE YEARS

A short timeline

  1. 1593

    Gamo Ujisato’s keep was completed.

  2. 1639

    Major Kato alterations were completed.

  3. 1965

    The keep was reconstructed.

  4. 2011

    The roof was retiled in red.

BEFORE YOU GO

A note before you go.

Check the official website for the keep museum, teahouse and other facilities separately. Admission and event arrangements may change.

Official visitor information ↗Find it on a map ↗

Information checked: 27 September 2026

Sources & official information

Some official sources are available in Japanese only.

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