Trailing the Samurai in Fukushima

During my time in the prefecture Fukushima, I have stayed in multiple places and made excursions each day to different cities that host interesting Samurai-related sights 🐲
Many of the things I saw, were related to the Boshin wars that marked the end of the Edo era and the start of the Meiji Restoration. In the beginning of the 17th century , Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun, chose Edo (present-day Tokyo) as Japan's new capital and marked with it the beginning of the Edo era. From todays view point this can be considered traditional Japanese culture 🇯🇵 The Meiji Restoration in the end of the 19th century stood for something completely else: modernization of the country and opening up to the west. A side effect of this shift was the destruction of the feudal and class based system and with it of the Samurai as the top class.
In Nihonmatsu, I have visited Nihonmatsu castle 🏰 one of the most important Samurai related places in Fukushima.
There was not much left from the original ruins but the entrance was reconstructed beautifully. The surrounding park was well maintained and I was lucky that the sun ☀️ came out here and there to allow me to make some nice looking photos.

Hotels in this region seem to be rather expensive 🤑 While I have really enjoyed my private Japanese-style room in Tsuchiyu Onsen for two nights, I didn’t want to spend all my money solely on accommodation. Therefore, I was looking for a cheaper guesthouse for the next couple of nights. I found one in Inawashiro but there was a problem: it was only available from the day after I had checked out from my Hotel in Tsuchiyu Onsen. So, I went to Koriyama (which is sort of on the way) for one night and slept again in an Internet cafe. 🛜
During the day I stored my backpack and heavier luggage 🧳 in a coin locker at the train station and went exploring in Koriyama. I visited 2 shrines ⛩️ the Asaka Kunitsuko Shrine and the Kaiseizan Daijingu Shrine. The latter one was established in 1876 and enshrines the following 3 deities 🙏 the ancestress of the Imperial family of Japan, the Emperor Jimmu, ( according to Japanese mythology the first emperor of Japan) and the goddess of agriculture and industry.
In the afternoon, I visited one museum that was within walking distance. I had no idea what it was. Google Maps 🗺️ suggested it under the name „Koriyamajoshidaigakuseikatsubunka Museum“. It was a tiny museum for culture and life of the Samurai and its people and part of the women’s university of Koriyama. The personell was super happy and excited to have me in their museum. Even a history professor of the university joined me in the exhibition room and explained some of the artifacts. Probably I was the first international visitor since a long time for them. 😅

The next day, I went to Aizu-Wakamatsu. It is the samurai city here in the Fukushima region hosting many attractions with a clear focus on tourism. 😊 Nevertheless, it didn’t feel like the place was overrun (like Kawaguchiko at Mt. Fuji). The two sights I have visited that day where the Tsuruga-Jo castle 🏰 as well as the Aizu Bukeyashiki (the reconstructed mansion of the highest ranking Samurai for the Aizu clan). Tsuruga-Jo castle was involved in one of the last and most famous battles at the end of the Edo era including the Byakkothai who tragically and prematurely killed themselves by seppuku ⚔️ (suicide by sword) - the noble death of the samurai. And a siege for 30 days. Eventually the castle was lost to the imperial forces of the new government and this gave way to the development of Japan to the country that we know today. The Samurai class no longer existed in Japan after that. 😩Read more