Tsuruga-jo Castle

Tsuruga-jo Castle
Originally uploaded by John (Juan)

Sorry for not posting in quite some time. I have been sick (now I feel better) and there are not a lot of wi-fi connections here in Kazui's hometown (Aizuwakamatsu... Say that 3 times fast). Anyway lets get back to the subject matter.

This is the Tsuruga-jo castle here in Aizu. I have had the opportunity to visit and see this military castle everyday now because Kazui's family lives right outside one of its gates. When I describe its location, I tell people that its in their backyard. My wife has lived all of her younger life next to this piece of history and Im happy to share it with you. Here are some facts you should know about the castle:

*It was built in 1384 and was used as a military castle until 1868
*In 1611, the castle was badly damaged by an earthquake and was rebuilt
*In 1868, during the Boshin Civil War, the castle was confiscated by the "new government" and was completely torn down in 1874
*In 1934, the remains were declared and national historical site an exact replica of the original castle was built there in 1965.

During the Boshin Civil War, 20 young soldiers were made legendary for their devotion to the Shogun and the castle. These youngers, called the Byakkotai, were between the ages 16 and 17. On their way to the castle to help, they saw what looked like their beloved castle on fire. Automatically they thought they were to late and that they had lost the war. These young men were the offspring of the Samurai who were defending the castle so they thought they had lost their parents as well. Right there on that hill, they took their swords out and commited Seppuku (killing one's self by means of sword insertion into the abdomen and slicing from left to right). Out of the 20, only one of the young soldiers lived as he was taken care of by a passing peasant. When he got better, he learned that they had been wrong about the fire as the smoke that they had seen was not from the castle. Nevertheless, they are quite famous here and they will be honored for a very long time.

I have been inside the castle a couple times now and it's quite amazing. I have more pics and I will put them on my Flickr account when I get home. Thanks for reading :)