Hirosaki Castle, a famous cherry blossom viewing spot in Aomori Prefecture

Hirosaki Castle, a precious cultural asset still standing in Aomori Prefecture

Hirosaki Castle, located in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, is a flatland castle that was the residence of the Tsugaru clan of the Hirosaki domain. It has been designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan due to the fact that the castle tower and turrets constructed during the Edo period still remain. Due to the castle abolition order of the Meiji era and air raids during World War II, only 12 castles in Japan still have their castle towers, and Hirosaki Castle is one of these, making it extremely valuable. It is also known as a famous cherry blossom viewing spot, with cherry trees such as Somei-Yoshino and weeping cherry trees planted within the castle grounds, and the Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival is held there in the spring

Photo by Kuruman – Hirosaki Castle (3)(2013) / Size-adapted.

Hirosaki Castle dates back to the time when Tsugaru Narinobu, who sided with the Eastern Army in the Battle of Sekigahara and was granted a fief of 47,000 koku by Tokugawa Ieyasu, built a castle to serve as the capital of the Hirosaki Domain in a place sandwiched between the Iwaki and Tsuchibuchi Rivers, then known as "Takaoka." He also planned to lay out a new town and develop a castle town. Tsugaru Narinobu, the first lord of the Hirosaki Domain, visited Kyoto to visit his ill eldest son, Tsugaru Nobutake, but died there, temporarily halting construction.
A family dispute later broke out, known as the "Tsugaru Disturbance." However, the shogunate ruled that Tsugaru Nobuki would be recognized as the second lord of the domain, and he took the lead in resuming construction. Using timber from his previous castles, Horikoshi Castle and Oura Castle, construction was completed in a short period of time. Furthermore, the name was given by the great priest Tenkai, who was also known as the "Black-robed Chancellor" and was deeply involved in the policies of the Edo Shogunate. The place name of Takaoka was changed to Hirosaki, and the castle was subsequently called "Hirosaki Castle."
The Hirosaki Castle tower was actually destroyed in a huge explosion during the Kan'ei era in the early Edo period when a lightning strike ignited the gunpowder storehouse, but during the Bunka era in the late Edo period, the feudal lord Tsugaru Yasuchika requested the shogunate to relocate the existing turret, which was approved and the castle was rebuilt. The rebuilt tower is the three-story structure we see today, and the lord's room, the Onari-no-ma, features magnificent furnishings such as a black lacquered alcove.

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