Tsuruga-jo Castle (Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle) Guide 2026: Japan's Only Red-Tiled Keep, Admission, Opening Hours, the Rinkaku Tea House and November Projection Mapping

Tsuruga-jo Castle in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture (officially Wakamatsu Castle), is known as the castle with Japan's only keep roofed in red tiles. The keep's interior is open as a museum; admission is ¥410 for adults and ¥150 for elementary and junior high school students. It is open 8:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30) with no closing days. A combined ticket with Rinkaku, a tea house associated with Sen no Rikyu's son Shoan, costs ¥520. On the evenings of November 20–22, 2026, “Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026” (free) also takes place on the keep. Here are the highlights, admission and access, based on the official website.

What is Tsuruga-jo Castle? About 630 years of history and the Boshin War

The castle's origins are traced to Higashikurokawa-kan, built by Ashina Naomori in 1384. In 1593, Gamo Ujisato completed a watchtower-style (boro-gata) keep and renamed the castle Tsuruga-jo. The official website describes it as the first full-scale keep in eastern Japan.

A major earthquake struck the Aizu region in 1611, collapsing stone walls and tilting the keep. Kato Yoshiaki and his son Akimasa then carried out a large-scale renovation completed by 1639, changing the keep to the stacked (soto-gata) style. Today's keep conveys the form of this five-tier stacked keep.

In 1868, at the end of the Edo period, the Aizu domain withstood a siege of about a month during the Boshin War before surrendering. All buildings except the stone walls were demolished in 1874, and the present keep is a 1965 reconstruction of the exterior based on photographs from the early Meiji era.

Japan's only red-tiled keep

In 2011, the keep's roof was re-tiled with red tiles like those of the late Edo period. According to the official website, these red tiles were developed in Aizu on the orders of Hoshina Masayuki, using an iron-rich glaze designed to withstand cold and snow, and Tsuruga-jo is the only keep in Japan roofed with them. The contrast of white plaster walls and red tiles stands out especially in the snowy season.

The Minami-hashiri-nagaya corridor and Hoshii-yagura turret connected to the keep were rebuilt in wood in 2000. They now host the digital art display “Tsurugajo Hikari no Rekishi Emaki” (a picture scroll of history in light), and visitors remove their shoes to enter.

Inside the keep museum: from the first floor to the fifth-floor observation level

The keep houses the Wakamatsu Castle Tenshukaku Local History Museum. According to the official website, the floors cover the following:

• 1F: The former salt storehouse and exposed stone walls, with an immersive theatre at the entrance

• 2F: The lords of Aizu and the history of the domain, traced along a history corridor

• 3F: The Boshin War (Aizu War) from multiple perspectives, with a timeline wall of events

• 4F: Figures from Aizu's history and their links to local sites

• 5F: The observation level, where a smartphone feature lets you overlay Edo-period townscapes on today's view

Rinkaku: a tea house associated with Sen no Rikyu's son Shoan

Rinkaku, the tea house within the castle grounds, is associated with Sen Shoan, son of Sen no Rikyu. After Rikyu died in 1591 having incurred the wrath of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Gamo Ujisato, then lord of Aizu, sheltered Shoan in Aizu and, together with Tokugawa Ieyasu, petitioned Hideyoshi to restore the Sen family. Rinkaku is said to have been built while Shoan was in Aizu.

After the Boshin War, tea master Morikawa Zenbei moved it to his home in 1872 to preserve it, and in 1990 Aizuwakamatsu City returned it to its original site inside the castle. Admission is ¥210 for adults and free for elementary and junior high school students. A bowl of matcha with a sweet costs ¥600, rising to ¥700 from December 1, 2026; matcha orders are taken until 16:00.

Admission, opening hours and tickets

• Keep (Wakamatsu Castle Tenshukaku Local History Museum): adults ¥410, children ¥150

• Combined ticket for the keep and Rinkaku tea house: ¥520

• Three-facility ticket for the keep, Rinkaku and Oyakuen garden: ¥730

• Opening hours: 8:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30); the keep, Rinkaku and Oyakuen are open every day

• Payment: cash (yen) at the ticket office; “WEB tickets” can also be bought in advance by credit card

Group discounts are available for 30 or more people. Holders of physical disability, rehabilitation (ryoiku) or mental health and welfare certificates are admitted free, and the Mirairo ID app is accepted in place of the certificate.

Access: mind the last loop bus

From JR Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, take the Haikara-san town loop bus to the “Tsurugajo Iriguchi” stop, then walk about 5 minutes. By car, it is about 15 minutes from the Aizuwakamatsu IC on the Ban-etsu Expressway, and there are paid car parks around the castle. For the Fukushima Museum, Oyakuen Garden, Sazaedo and other sights to visit during the day, see our Aizuwakamatsu art guide.

The loop bus stops running in the early evening: the last bus leaves Aizu-Wakamatsu Station at 18:05 and Tsurugajo Iriguchi at 18:14. If you visit for the evening projection mapping, plan your return trip in advance.

“Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026” on the evenings of November 20–22

For three days from Friday, November 20 to Sunday, November 22, 2026, from 17:30 to 21:00, “Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026” uses the keep and stone walls as its stage. Imagery based on Aizu lacquerware, Aizu painted candles, Aizu cotton and more is joined by a sea-of-clouds effect for the first time. It is free to watch and needs no reservation. Since it does not overlap with the keep museum's opening hours (until 17:00), you can climb the keep by day and watch the projection at night.

For parking and photography rules, see our Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026 article; for related events in Osaka, Hiroshima and Gifu this winter, see our winter 2026–27 events guide. For castle night events across Japan, see our castle projection mapping guide.

Frequently asked questions

How much is admission to Tsuruga-jo Castle?

Admission to the keep is ¥410 for adults and ¥150 for children. A combined ticket with the Rinkaku tea house is ¥520, and a three-facility ticket including Oyakuen garden is ¥730.

What are the opening hours? Is it ever closed?

It is open 8:30–17:00, with last entry at 16:30, and has no closing days.

Are there other red-tiled keeps?

According to the official website, Tsuruga-jo is the only keep in Japan roofed with the Aizu red tiles developed on Hoshina Masayuki's orders.

Can I enter the keep at night?

The keep museum closes at 17:00. On the evenings of November 20–22, the projection mapping can be watched from the castle park (free).

Facility overview

【Name】Tsuruga-jo Castle (Wakamatsu Castle), Wakamatsu Castle Tenshukaku Local History Museum
【Address】1-1 Otemachi, Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima
【Opening hours】8:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
【Closed】Open every day
【Admission】Keep: adults ¥410, children ¥150 / Keep and Rinkaku combined ticket ¥520 / Three-facility ticket (keep, Rinkaku, Oyakuen) ¥730
【Rinkaku tea house】Admission: adults ¥210 (free for elementary and junior high school students); matcha ¥600 per serving (¥700 from December 1, 2026)
【Access】From JR Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, take the Haikara-san town loop bus to “Tsurugajo Iriguchi” and walk about 5 minutes; about 15 minutes by car from the Aizuwakamatsu IC on the Ban-etsu Expressway
【Enquiries】Tsuruga-jo Castle Management Office, 0242-27-4005
【Official website】http://www.tsurugajo.com/
*Information as of November 9, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026 (from a HITOHATA, INC. press release)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team based on the official Tsuruga-jo Castle website's information on the keep, the Rinkaku tea house and admission (viewed November 9, 2026) and official announcements for Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team

A note from the publisher

*Disclosure: “Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026”, featured in this article, is an event produced and created by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE (About us).