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The castle was named "Tsurugajo(castle of the crane)"
because its beautiful appearance resembled that of a white crane
swooping down from the skies. The majestic seven-story castle
was originally built in 1593, but was reconstructed in the present
style of a five-story structure in 1639 and has retained the
same appearance until today. The present building is a reconstruction
completed in 1965, but the stone walls at its base have remained
unchanged for over 400 years.
The castle has been renovated into a city museum. The lower
four stories display a collection of hundreds of cultural assets
that have shaped the history of Aizu-wakamatsu. Visitors can
enjoy a magnificent view of the city of Aizu from the lookout
on the fifth floor, including the Aizu-Bandaisan Mountain, Iimoriyama
Mountain, where the young guards of Byakko-tai committed suicide
preceding the Meiji restoration, and the Tenneiji Temple, where
Kondo Isami, captain of the Shinsengumi government police force,
is buried.
The founder of the castle, Gamo Ujisato, is said to have excelled
in both literary and martial arts. He tried to establish an
original industry unique to the Aizu region in line with town
planning, and assembled roof-tile makers, weapons makers and
lacquerware craftsmen from regions as far away as Oumi-Hino,
Kyoto and Nara. This became the foundation for the area's high
quality traditional handicrafts production.
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During the Aizu Painted Candle Festival, candlelight encircles
the Tsurugajo Castle as if bright flowers have bloomed in winter.
During its rule, the feudal government encouraged and promoted
production of painted candles, one of the specialties of Aizu.
On February 11th and 12th, 2006, approximately 7,000 painted
candles will be lit around the main building of the Tsurugajo
Castle and Oyakuen Herb Gardens.
Painted candles are made of lacquer, which was a precious material
used as payment for annual taxes. Layers of lacquer are applied
dozens of times onto the wick made of rush grass pistil and
Japanese paper. The outstanding feature of these candles is
the vividly colored flowers such as chrysanthemums and peonies
depicted on their cream-colored bodies. It is said that the
delicate craftwork originated out of the wishes of the Tohoku
people to offer flowers to their gods even when heavy snow made
them unavailable. Not only are the paintings on each hand-made
candle different, but even the color and flicker of the flames
differ slightly. Visitors to the festival can savor the luxury
of being surrounded by lights from 7,000 hand-made candles.
On both nights, from 19:00, rocket fireworks will be launched
into the night sky to further enhance the effect of the glow
from the candles.
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Ramen noodles served in hot soup are most welcome on cold winter
days. Kitakata, adjoining the city of Aizu, is a city famous
for its storehouses and ramen noodles. Over 2,600 storehouses
dot the city. The "Kitakata ramen" first became popular
among the tourists visiting these storehouses. Kitakata ramen
later grew into a national boom, drawing ramen fans from throughout
the nation. The small city has over 120 ramen restaurants and
boasts the highest number of ramen restaurants per person in
the country.
The thick and flat noodle has body and satisfies the stomach.
The slightly crinkled noodle is best suited to the thick rich
soup. The secret to its popularity might be the pure mineral
water used in both the noodles and the soup.
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