A tour of precious cultural assets that remain in Minami Aizu, the southern part of the Aizu region [Fukushima Prefecture]

Minamiaizu District , which consists of the towns of Shimogo, Minamiaizu, Tadami, and Hinoemata, is located in the southern part of the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture, and is an area rich in nature, including Oze and the Aizu Plateau, which has an area comparable to the size of Kanagawa Prefecture.

So far we have introduced some of Minamiaizu's more well-known sites, festivals, folk performing arts, and hot springs, such as "Oze," "Tonohetsuri," "Ouchijuku," "Maezawa Magariya Village," "Hieda Kabuki," "Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival," and "Yunokami Onsen," but there is still much more to see. Here we will mainly introduce historical heritage sites that have been designated as cultural properties

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Oku-Aizu Museum houses over 5,000 important tangible folk cultural properties

The Oku-Aizu Museum houses approximately 24,000 items, including folk tools and implements used by the people of Minami-Aizu since ancient times.

The collection includes 5,058 items that are designated as Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties of Japan, including tools and implements used in farming villages, tools used by lumberjacks in mountainous areas and woodworkers who make the raw materials for Aizu lacquerware, tools for producing drums, tools for catching fish in rivers, and means of transport along mountain roads. Of these, over 3,000 items are on permanent display

Adjacent to the site a horse inn, a dyeing shop (former Sugihara family residence, former Inomata family residence), a former Sanno teahouse , an old thatched-roof house , and a wooden hut (reproduced and displaying wooden tools) have been relocated, preserved, and opened to the public.

Okuaizu Museum＜Information＞

• Facility name: Oku-Aizu Museum
• Address: 3692-20 Nishizawayama, Minamiaizu-machi, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0241-66-3077
• Opening hours: 9:00-16:00
• Closed: Thursdays from December to March (the following day if the Thursday falls on a public holiday), New Year's holidays
• Admission fee: Adults 300 yen, high school students 200 yen, elementary and junior high school students 100 yen
• URL: Okuaizu Museum

Google Map

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A typical mountain castle from the Sengoku period. Shigiyama Castle, the residence of the lord of Minamiaizu

During the Kamakura period, Minamiaizu became the territory of the Naganuma clan, who were highly trusted by Minamoto no Yoritomo, and built the ruins of Shigiyama Castle . During the Edo period, it came under the control of the Gamō clan, the Uesugi clan, and others, and from the 1640s it was under the direct control of the shogunate as a "tenryō okurai-ri" (tenryo treasury area), a status that continued until the Meiji Restoration.

The date when Shigiyama Castle was built is unknown, but existing ancient documents state that it was captured by the Yamauchi clan in 1469, so it appears that it was already in existence as a castle at that time

Shigiyama Castle was later reclaimed by the Naganuma clan, but they followed the Date clan and moved to Sendai in 1590. After that, the Gamo clan, who became the lords of Aizu, took over as lords of the castle, but in the Edo period, during the reign of Kato Yoshiaki, the lord of Aizu, the castle was abandoned in 1627

Shigiyama Castle is a mountain castle that climbs up towards the former main keep from the Warring States period, which was located at the summit of Mt. Atago (749m above sea level), and ruins remain all around Mt. Atago. There are several entrances, but as soon as you enter through the large torii gate at the front, you will come across the remains of the samurai residence. After that, if you pass through the remains of the dry moat and the stone walls of the former main gate, you will come out into an open space called "Kamisenjo" and "Shimosenjo." This was where the main keep and second keep from the Edo period were located. Atago Shrine stood on the site of the former main keep at the summit, but it was destroyed by lightning in 2015, and now only the remains of the shrine remain on the mountaintop, which overlooks the Aizu-Tajima cityscape

Shigiyama Castle Ruins <Information>

• Facility name: Shigiyama Castle Ruins
• Address: Negoya, Tajima, Minamiaizu-machi, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0241-62-3000 (Minamiaizu Town Tourism and Products Association)
• Freedom to stroll
• URL: Shigiyama Castle Ruins

Google Map

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Kanatsu Bansho, the remains of a checkpoint on the road to Echigo

Kanouzu Bansho in Tadami Town was a checkpoint located on the Hachijurigoe Kaido (currently National Route 289), which connected Minami Aizu and Echigo (Niigata Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, salt, fish, and daily necessities were brought in from the Minami Aizu region using this Hachijurigoe Kaido. However, even though it was a highway, it was a narrow road that passed through the mountainous region of Oku-Tadami, and along the way it was necessary to cross Kurakake Pass (965m above sea level) and Kinone Pass (845m above sea level), which is why it was called "Hachijurigoe."

The Kanatsu Bansho was commissioned by the Hasebe family, the local headman, to monitor people and goods passing through the road. The Former Hasebe Family Residence, built on the site of the Kanatsu Bansho, was built in the late Edo period and is a curved house with an L-shaped stable protruding from the right side of the front. Due to its size and state of preservation, it has been designated an Important Cultural Property of Fukushima Prefecture

The Former Igarashi Family Residence, a designated national important cultural property located close to Kanazu Bansho, is a typical farmhouse from Minamiaizu, built in the mid-Edo period (1743). The building is a straight-lined (sugoya / rectangular house / slightly remodeled later) house with a central gate-style entrance at the front

Kanatsu Guardhouse <Information>

• Facility name: Kanatsu Guardhouse and Former Hasebe Family Residence
• Address: 456 Iidaira, Kanazu, Tadami-machi, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0241-82-5320 (Tadami Town Board of Education, Lifelong Learning Section)
• Opening hours: 10:00-16:00
• Closed: Mondays

• Facility name: Former Igarashi Family Residence
• Address: 437 Idaira, Kanazu, Tadami-machi, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0241-82-5320 (Tadami Town Board of Education, Lifelong Learning Section)

Google Map

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The former Minamiaizu County Office, a Western-style building built in the Meiji era

The Minamiaizu region was part of Aizu County until the Edo period, but in the Meiji period it was divided into Kitaaizu County and Minamiaizu County, and a government office was built in Aizu-Tajima in 1885 (Meiji 18)

The "Former Minamiaizu County Office" was built in 1885 and was used as a Fukushima Prefecture facility until the new Fukushima Prefecture Tajima Joint Government Building was constructed in 1970 (Showa 45). The building was a rare two-story Western-style building at the time, and when it was no longer used as a government office it was moved to its current location and temporarily used as the "Oku-Aizu Regional History and Folklore Museum (formerly Oku-Aizu Museum)." With the construction of the new "Oku-Aizu Museum," it was preserved and is now open to the public as the "Former Minamiaizu County Office." It is a designated Important Cultural Property of Fukushima Prefecture

Former Minamiaizu County Office <Information>

• Facility name: Former Minamiaizu County Office
• Address: 4681-1 Maruyama-ko, Tajima, Minamiaizu-machi, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0241-62-3848
• Opening hours: 9:00-16:00
• Admission fee: Adults 200 yen, high school students 150 yen, elementary school students 100 yen
• Closed: Tuesdays (or the following day if it is a public holiday), New Year's holidays
• URL: Minamiaizu County Office

Google Map

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Minamiaizu's Kabuki stage, "Omomo no Butai," a nationally designated important tangible folk cultural property

The Minamiaizu region has a folk performing art that originated from Edo Kabuki

Kabuki is said to have begun when people imitated the Kabuki they saw in Edo on their way back from a pilgrimage to Ise Shrine. By the late Edo period, Kabuki had become popular throughout Minamiaizu, and it is said that each district had its own Kabuki troupe

Hinoemata Kabuki is actually performed , but traces of it remain in other areas as well.

"Oomomo Stage" (Oomomo district, Minamiaizu) is the only remaining stage outside of Hinoemata where Kabuki was performed.

This stage, located within the grounds of Komatake Shrine, is 7.6m wide and 5.58m deep. The roof is thatched, and currently, in early August, local performing arts are performed here. It is a nationally designated important tangible folk cultural property

Omomo's Stage <Information>

• Facility name: Omomo Stage
• Address: 164 Iidaira, Omomo, Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0241-64-5711 (Inan Tourist Center)

Google Map

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Minamiaizu is full of charm

In addition to these, the Minamiaizu region is also home to two other ancient temples that have been designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan: Johoji Kannon Hall (in Tadami Town) and Kyokudenji Kannon Hall (in Asahida Temple). However, as both are Buddhist temples included in the "Aizu Thirty-three Kannon," we will introduce them in separate sections

Minamiaizu's charm lies in its abundant nature, as exemplified by Oze, and its outdoor sports. It also boasts many small but unique hot springs, such as Yunokami Onsen, Tokusa Onsen, and Azuki Onsen. The cuisine is also packed with mountain delicacies. Come visit Minamiaizu, a place filled with nature, plenty to see, and close to the Tokyo metropolitan area

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