Aizu-wakamatsu

Tsuruga Castle, Aizu-wakamatsu

Aizu-wakamatsu, Japan: Tsuruga Castle

Aizu-wakamatsu, city, Fukushima ken (prefecture), northeast-central Honshu, Japan. It is situated in the centre of the Aizu Basin, surrounded by volcanic mountains.

A castle was built on the site in 1384. Much of the present city dates from 1590, when the castle was rebuilt and named Tsuruga Castle. During the Edo (Tokugawa) period (1603–1867), Aizu-wakamatsu was an important commercial and manufacturing centre, famous for its lacquerware. It was held as a fief by a member of the Tokugawa family and was the scene of the last resistance to the Meiji Restoration (1868). During the final battle, the city was razed and the castle destroyed.

In the late 19th century Aizu-wakamatsu became an administrative centre, and its commercial importance was strengthened with the arrival of a railway. Most of its industry continues to be traditional, with small-scale establishments producing lacquerware, ceramic ware, sake (rice wine), decorative candles, and characteristic little paper oxen (akabeko). Larger plants for the production of lacquerware have been built. Tourists are attracted by the city and the castle (rebuilt in 1965). On Mount Iimori, outside the city, is the cemetery for the samurai of the White Tiger Corps, who withstood the Meiji forces. Natural tourist attractions include the hot springs and maple groves at Mount Higashi, to the southeast. Pop. (2010) 126,220; (2015) 124,062.