Clear the Aizu Local Quiz and earn the Aizu Local title. Want to know Aizuwakamatsu even better, or already confident? The tougher courses are next.
Aizuwakamatsu keeps its history close. Tsuruga Castle's red-tiled keep anchors the old castle town, and this quiz starts there: the Byakkotai boys and Mount Iimori, the curious double-helix ramp of Sazaedo, and the Aizu domain's long road from founder Hoshina Masayuki to Matsudaira Katamori and the Boshin War. From that base, the questions branch into gentler territory. Akabeko papier-mache oxen, Aizu lacquerware, wappa-meshi and kozuyu on the table, sake breweries scattered across the former castle quarters, and the old storefronts of Nanokamachi-dori all make appearances. A ride on the Tadami Line is a fine excuse to visit; a run through the practice questions is a fine way to prepare.
Q1.Which warlord built the first proper early-modern castle at Tsuruga Castle in Aizuwakamatsu, complete with stone walls and moats -- the first of its kind in eastern Japan?
Date Masamune
Gamo Ujisato
Uesugi Kagekatsu
Kato Yoshiaki
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Correct answerGamo Ujisato
Entering Aizu, Gamo Ujisato rebuilt the old Kurokawa castle from 1592 into eastern Japan's first full-fledged early modern fortress with stone walls and moats, naming the keep completed the next year Tsurugajo. He also renamed the town from Kurokawa to Wakamatsu, the city's founding moment.
Q2.Tsuruga Castle Park is a cherry blossom destination cherished all across Japan. What is it recognized as?
One of Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Michelin Guide three stars
National Treasure
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Correct answerOne of Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots
Tsuruga Castle Park is named one of "Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots," with many cherry trees making it a celebrated flower-viewing destination. The blossoms typically peak in mid-to-late April, and during that season the park hosts the Tsuruga Castle Cherry Blossom Festival.
Q3.After a fierce battle and retreat, on which mountain overlooking Tsuruga Castle did the Byakkotai boys meet their end?
Mount Bandai
Mount Iimori
Mount Inawashiro
Mount Higashiyama
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Correct answerMount Iimori
Retreating from the battle of Tonokuchihara, the teenage Byakkotai reached Iimoriyama and, seeing Tsurugajo wreathed in black smoke, believed the castle had fallen; they took their own lives on the hillside. In fact the castle had not yet fallen. The graves of the nineteen stand quietly on the hill.
Q4.The tea house Rinkaku, on the grounds of Tsuruga Castle, is said to have been built by Gamo Ujisato to hide whom?
Sen no Rikyu's son, Shoan
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Date Masamune
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Correct answerSen no Rikyu's son, Shoan
After Sen no Rikyu was ordered to take his own life by Hideyoshi, Gamo Ujisato, grieved that the master's tea tradition might die out, is said to have sheltered Rikyu's son Shoan in Aizu. Rinkaku, the teahouse built then, stands in Tsurugajo park, still used for tea gatherings.
Q5.One theory for how Tsurugajo ("Crane Castle") got its name links it to Gamo Ujisato's childhood name and his family crest. Which pairing is correct?
Childhood name "Tsuruchiyo" (crane), crest "standing crane"
Childhood name "Kamechiyo" (turtle), crest "paired cranes"
Childhood name "Matsuchiyo" (pine), crest "dancing crane"
Childhood name "Tsurumaru", crest "circled cross"
Reveal the correct answer
Correct answerChildhood name "Tsuruchiyo" (crane), crest "standing crane"
One tradition holds the castle's name honors Gamo Ujisato, its christener: his childhood name was Tsuruchiyo and the Gamo crest a standing crane, tsuru -- though theories vary. The official historic-site name is Wakamatsu Castle ruins, but locals have always called it Tsurugajo.
