Image search results - "aizu-wakamatsu" |
Aizu-Wakamatsu Station 会津若松駅
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Entrance to Iimoriyama Hill, site of the Byakkotai "White Tiger" Battalion gravesite. In 1868, a unit of teenage warriors called Byakkotai (White Tiger Battalion) fought against the Emperor-backed Imperial forces encroaching their domain of Aizu
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Aizu-Wakamatsu Station 会津若松駅
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The Byakkotai were outnumbered and forced to retreat. Twenty of them escaped to Iimoriyama Hill where they saw what looked liked a burning Tsurugajo Castle. Photo: Pay a small fee to take the escalator up the hill. Or climb up the steps for free.
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Aizu-Wakamatsu Station 会津若松駅
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In despair, the boys decided to kill themselves rather than die in the hands of the enemy. Photo: Escalator to go up Iimoriyama Hill.
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Escalator to go up Iimoriyama Hill. Their tombstones are on this hill near where they killed themselves. Their story has become legend.
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Aizu-Wakamatsu Station at twilight
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Byakkotai Gravesite. It is on a flat area which also has several other Byakkotai monuments including those from other countries.
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Aizu-Wakamatsu Station
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Approach to the Byakkotai gravesite.
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Byakkotai statue at Aizu-Wakamatsu Station
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Entrance to pedestrian underpass in front of Aizu-Wakamatsu Station
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Graves of the 19 teenage Byakkotai warriors who killed themselves with their own swords.
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Entrance to pedestrian underpass in front of Aizu-Wakamatsu Station with Byakkotai (White tiger) painting
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Hi-color town bus, very convenient and cheap (500 yen for a day pass) to reach the city's major sights. It runs every 30 min. or so. ハイカラさん
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Byakkotai Graves
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Hi-color town bus stop
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Byakkotai Graves
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Byakkotai gravestones. Each one shows the name, age, and method of death called "jijin" (died with one's own sword 自刃).
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"Akabei" town bus which goes in the opposite direction of the Hi-color town bus. The same day pass can be used for both buses. あかべぇ
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Inside the Akabei town bus.
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This has become a national shrine, almost as important as Sengakuji where the 47 masterless samurai are buried.
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Bus stop
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Aizu-Wakamatsu City Hall 会津若松市役所
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Shopping street
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Aizu-Wakamatsu manhole
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Fukushima Prefectural Museum
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On the right side are more gravestones. These are 31 Byakkotai members who died in battle. 戦死
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Sculpture near the Fukushima Prefectural Museum
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Tombs of those Byakkotai who died in action.
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Tombs of those Byakkotai who died in action.
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Their names, age, and "senshi" 戦死 (died in battle) are engraved on the stones.
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Hand-painted candles
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Monument for teenage samurai who died in battle.
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Names of Byakkotai members, all 14 to 17 years old.
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On the left of the gravestones, there is a monument for a poem composed by Lord Matsudaira Katamori, the last Aizu lord and whom the Byakkotai died for. 幾人の 涙は石にそそぐとも その名は世々に 朽じとぞ思う幾人の 涙は石にそそぐとも その名は世々に 朽じとぞ思う
Ikutari no namida wa ishi ni sosogu tomo sono na wa yoyo ni kuji to zo omou
"No matter how many people pour their tears on these stones, these names will never fade from the world."
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A short walk away is the grave of Iinuma Sadakichi, the only Byakkotai survivor who had slit himself, but was rescued by a villager passing by when everyone else had killed themselves.
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Grave of Iinuma Sadakichi, the only Byakkotai warrior who survived and told the story of this valiant teenage group.
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Grave of Iinuma Sadakichi (Sadao) (1854-1931). His grave was built here in 1957 for the 90th anniversary of the Byakkotai's demise. 飯沼貞吉
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About Iinuma Sadakichi (later changed his first name to Sadao)
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Slope where they committed seppuku (hara-kiri). 自刃の地
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Site where they committed seppuku (hara-kiri). 自刃の地
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A recent addition is this statue of a teenage samurai looking at Wakamatsu Castle.
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Statue of a teenage samurai looking at Wakamatsu Castle.
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Statue faces Tsuruga-jo Castle which can be seen in the distance.
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Arrow points to Tsuruga-jo Castle.
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Byakko Kannon statue
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Monument from Rome, Italy, given in 1928 by Mussolini. The column is from the ruins of a palace in Pompeii.
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Monument message in Italian. After WWII, the US Occupation authorities wanted this monument removed. But all they did was remove the engraved message (later restored).
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About the monument from Rome.
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Monument from a German, Hasso von Etzdorf (1900 - 1989).
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Another monument
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Opened in 1956, the Byakkotai Memorial Museum has numerous artifacts related to the Byakkotai as well as the Shinsengumi. Photography inside is not allowed. Admission 400 yen.
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Byakkotai statue outside the Byakkotai Memorial Museum
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Uga Shrine 宇賀神社
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Byakkotai enshrined in Uga Shrine
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Painting depicting Byakkotai suicide on Iimoriyama Hill
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Sazaedo, a unique wooden, hexagonal structure which you will see when coming down from Iimoriyama.
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Sazaedo
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Sazaedo
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Sazaedo
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Byakkotai souvenirs
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Stone marker for Tsurugajo Castle. Although the castle's official name is Wakamatsu Castle, it is popularly called Tsuruga-jo Castle within the city of Aizu-Wakamatsu. Outside Fukushima though, it is popularly called Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle.
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Otemon Gate to Kitade-maru 大手門. The castle was first built by Ashina Naomori in 1384 when he built a structure called Higashi Kurokawa Yakata.
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Otemon Gate stonework. The castle was occupied by a number of clans. But it was Gamo Ujisato, originally from Hino, Shiga Prefecture, who made the castle great and established the castle town of Aizu-Wakamatsu.
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Otemon Gate stonework with stairs, one unique feature of the castle. The castle was attacked by Imperial forces during the Boshin War in 1868. The castle was dismantled in 1874.
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Most next to Otemon Gate
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Foilage on the slopes of Honmaru
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Kitade-maru 北出丸
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Foilage on Kitade-maru 北出丸
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Monument on Kitade-maru 北出丸
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Foilage and stone gate
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Tsubakizaka Slope which is a bridge to the castle tower. 椿坂
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Castle map. I recommend entering through the Kitaguchi entrance and exiting from the San-no-maru entrance or vice versa. Both entrances has a High-color bus stop nearby. The castle is too far to walk from Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, so take a bus.
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Tsubakizaka Slope which is lined with cherry trees. 椿坂
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Taikomon Gate where there was a multi-story turret which had a taiko drum used to signal the coming of a lord or for emergencies. 太鼓門
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Taikomon Gate stonework
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Right beyond the Taikomon Gate is a tourist info office, cafe, restrooms, and benches.
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Wakamatsu Castle as seen from the rear.
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Tsuruga-jo Castle as seen from the rear.
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These stairs on the castle's stone walls are called Musha-bashiri. They enabled the warriors to run up to the turrets quickly during attacks. It is one distinguishing feature of the castle. 武者走り
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Family crests of all the warrior clans who occupied Wakamatsu Castle.
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Honmaru Uzumimon Gate which leads to the castle tower. There was a turret here on the stone foundation. 本丸埋門
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Honmaru Uzumimon Gate and tenshukaku castle tower.
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Castle tower as seen from Honmaru Uzumimon Gate
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Castle tower as seen from Honmaru Uzumimon Gate. In the lower right is the ticket office to enter the castle tower. Castle tower admission is 400 yen for adults. Or pay 500 yen to include the ticket to see the Rinkaku Tea House. Open 8:30 am to 5 pm.
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Castle tower as seen from the west side full of cherry trees. Tsuruga-jo Castle Park is one of Japan's 100 Best Cherry Blossom Spots.
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Castle tower as seen from the west side in the Obikurawa 帯郭
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Castle tower as seen from the west side in the Obikurawa 帯郭
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Wakamatsu Castle tower, called tenshukaku. In 1590, Gamo Ujisato became the castle lord and he built a 7-story castle tower completed in 1593. He renamed the castle Tsuruga-jo and renamed the town from Kurokawa to Wakamatsu.
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The castle tower was reconstructed as a ferroconcrete building in Sept. 1965 on its original site.
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Tsuruga-jo Castle tower. It is lit up at night.
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Tsuruga-jo Castle tower
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On the west side is this Kurogane-mon Gate with steel doors. This is another way into the the main Honmaru grounds. During the Boshin War, the castle lord directed his troops from here. 鉄門
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After entering the Kurogane-mon Gate, you can see the Hoshii-yagura turret 干飯櫓 on the left which is connected to the castle tower via the Minami Hashiri-nagaya Longhouse 南走長屋. Both were reconstructed in April 2001.
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It took about 3 years to reconstruct this Hoshii-yagura turret using traditional construction methods. It was the castle's largest turret mainly used to store food.. 干飯櫓
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Stone sink to wash the mouths of horses. A horse riding ground was nearby. 馬洗石
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Kurogane-mon Gate on the left, connected to the castle tower on the right via the Hashiri-nagaya Longhouse which houses a gift shop 南走長屋.
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Kurogane-mon Gate on the left, Hashiri-nagaya Longhouse, and castle tower.
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In 1591, Lord Gamo Ujisato (from Hino, Shiga) built a 7-story castle tower and renamed it Tsuruga-jo Castle. "Tsuru" means crane. A major earthquake in 1611 damaged the tower, so Lord Kato Akinari rebuilt the castle tower with 5 stories in 1639.
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Aizu-Wakamatsu (Tsuruga-jo) Castle, Fukushima Pref. The reconstructed castle tower (ferro-concrete) is based on the 5-story castle tower Kato Akinari built in 1639. "Wakamatsu" was named after a place in Hino, Shiga by Ujisato.
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Wakamatsu Castle, Fukushima. Totally modern on the inside (renovated in 2004), the castle tower is a history museum. It displays swords and portraits of the Byakkotai Battalion of teenagers who valiantly butneedlessly committed suicide on Iimoriyama Hill.
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"Wakamatsu" means young pine.
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Wakamatsu Castle and pine trees.
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Numerous pine trees are planted within the castle grounds. At night, the castle is lit up.
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Wakamatsu Castle has only these buildings standing. No other turrets, towers, or palace buildings remain.
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Stone foundation for Gosankai, a three-story building used as a secret meeting place. Before the castle was dismantled, this building was moved to Amida temple within the city.
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Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle
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Tsurugajo Castle. The castle tower entrance can be seen.
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Pine tree and Tsuruga-jo Castle. 鶴ヶ城
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Wakamatsu Castle as seen from Honmaru
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The castle tower (donjon) stands over 36 meters high. Its stone wall is 11 meters high.
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The castle tower was renovated on the inside in 2004.
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Hashiri Nagaya Longhouse connects to the castle tower.
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Heads up view
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Stone foundation of castle tower
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Honmaru 本丸
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Ridge of castle moat on the south side.
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Tsukimi Yagura turret (Moonviewing Turret) 月見櫓
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Top of Tsukimi Yagura turret (Moonviewing Turret). It was a two-story turret used to store weapons. It also offered a great view of the moon. 月見櫓
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Chatsubo Yagura turret (Tea Pot Turret). There was a two-story turret which stored tea ceremony implements and weapons. 茶壷櫓の跡
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View from Chatsubo Yagura turret
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View of Wakamatsu Castle from Chatsubo Yagura turret
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Castle most and Rokabashi Bridge 廊下橋
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Rokabashi Bridge connects the Honmaru to the Ni-no-Maru. Originally, this bridge could be cut down in the event of an attack. 廊下橋
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Kojo no Tsukihi Poetry Monument dedicated to the poem "Kojo no Tsukihi" written by college student Tsuchii Bansui after he saw how the castle lay in ruins after the Boshin War. 荒城の月碑
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Entrance to Tsuruga-jo Castle tower (tenshukaku).
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Castle tower stonework with the characteristic stone steps.
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Castle tower stonework
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Inside castle tower. This scene depicts a storage room for salt. Unfortunately, photography is not permitted inside the castle tower's museum area.
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The 5th and top floor of castle tower has a nice lookout deck all.
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Lookout deck on castle tower. Great views all around.
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Honmaru as seen from the top of the castle tower.
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Honmaru as seen from the top of the castle tower. 本丸
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The nagaya longhouse corridor leading to the reconstructed Hoshii Yagura turret.
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Hashiri Nagaya Longhouse in the foreground, then the Kurogane-mon Gate, the reconstructed Minami Hashiri Nagaya Longhouse, and the reconstructed Hoshii Yagura turret at the far end. We can walk inside these structures as well.
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Mt. Bandai is on the right.
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Looking east. These are cherry trees below.
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Tourist info office below.
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Looking toward Kitade-maru.
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Shadow of castle tower.
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Alps
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The main Honmaru entrance
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Inside the Hashiri Nagaya corridor is a gift shop. This is connected directly to the castle tower and also connects to the reconstructed Hoshii Turret.. 走長屋
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The gift shop also has a gallery of local crafts such as lacquerware.
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This is over the Kurogane-mon Gate.
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Inside the Kurogane-mon Gate is a mini theater.
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Inside the reconstructed Minami Hashiri Nagaya Longhouse. It is a long corridor with a few small storage rooms. 南走長屋
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Inside the reconstructed Minami Hashiri Nagaya Longhouse. Impressive reconstruction.
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A small room along the Minami Hashiri Nagaya Longhouse.
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An open window along the Minami Hashiri Nagaya Longhouse.
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Inside the reconstructed Hoshii Yagura Turret on the lower floor.
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A warrior dummy shows how a hole in the wall is used.
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Stairs to go to the upper floor of the Hoshii Yagura turret.
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Upper floor of the Hoshii Yagura turret. 干飯櫓
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A warrior dummy shows how stones can be dropped through the stone hole on the floor.
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Stone-dropping hole.
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Upper floor of the Hoshii Yagura turret. It is used as an exhibition room. 干飯櫓
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Roof of nagaya longhouse.
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Tsurugajo Inari Shrine
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Entrance to Rinkaku Tea Ceremony House 茶室麟閣
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Rinkaku Tea Ceremony House. 茶室麟閣
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Rinkaku Tea Ceremony House. Shoan, the son of tea master Sen Rikyu (who was ordered to committ seppuku by Hideyoshi), came here to practice tea in the late 16th century under the auspices of Lord Gamo Ujisato who himself was a tea expert. 茶室麟閣
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Inside Rinkaku Tea Ceremony House
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Rokabashi Bridge 廊下橋
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Rokabashi Bridge 廊下橋
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Rokabashi Bridge 廊下橋
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San-no-Maru entrance to Tsurugajo Castle 三の丸
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