Tsurugajo Castle Tickets

Tsurugajo in Aizu-Wakamatsu is the great castle of samurai loyalism, the fortress where the Aizu clan made its doomed stand against imperial forces in 1868 as the age of the samurai ended. Rebuilt with its distinctive red tiled roof, unique among Japanese castles, the white keep rises from massive original stone walls at the centre of a moated park that holds some of Tohoku’s deepest history.

Inside the keep

The museum floors climb through Aizu’s story, from the castle’s medieval origins through the flowering of the clan’s warrior culture to the month long siege of the Boshin War, told with artefacts, armour and affecting detail about the Byakkotai, the teenage soldiers whose tragedy became legend. The top floor gallery looks over the city to the mountains that hemmed the defenders in. English signage is solid throughout.

The grounds and the town

The castle park’s cherry blossoms rank among the region’s finest in late April, and the Rinkaku tea house within the walls serves matcha in a garden with its own siege survival story. Beyond the moats, Aizu-Wakamatsu keeps sake breweries, samurai residences and the Iimoriyama hillside where the Byakkotai story reached its end.

Getting there

Aizu-Wakamatsu is reached by JR Ban-etsu West Line from Koriyama, a Tohoku Shinkansen stop about 80 minutes from Tokyo, with the local leg taking around 65 minutes. From the station, loop buses reach the castle entrance in about 15 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Why are the roof tiles red? Local glazing traditions produced tiles that withstand Aizu’s freezing winters, restored in the latest renovation.

How long does a visit take? Around two hours with the grounds and tea house.

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