Culture

Hirosaki can boast of numerous tangible and intangible cultural assets that testify to its historic and cultural signifi cance.

Choshoji Temple

This Soto Zen temple, the gate of which dates back to 1629, was the family temple of the Tsugaru clan and still functions as the repository of the ashes of the successive heads of the family. To the left of the main building, extending almost directly in a southward direction, each surrounded by a fence and their gates facing due east, stands a row of mausoleums where five Lords of Tsugaru are enshrined.

The Five–Storied Pagoda at Saishoin

Said to have been constructed in 1667 to comfort the souls of warriors who fell during the unifi cation of Tsugaru, this pagoda is an extremely important building, not just for Hirosaki, but for all of northeastern Japan, where pagodas are relatively few.

Takateru Shrine

Takateru Shrine is an important example of Shinto architecture, as it is the only extant example of shrine buildings extending in a straight eastwest line, based on the characteristic arrangement of Yoshikawa Shinto. The photograph shows the outer shrine constructed in 1755.

The Mt.Iwaki shirine

Beyond the red-painted tower gate and outer shrine stand the dazzlingly decorated inner gate and the sanctuary. The photograph shows the tower gate built in 1628.

The Old Hirosaki City Library

An entrance hall fl anked by two octagonal turrets:although its basic design was inspired by the Renaissance,this building displays everywhere that its architect was Japanese. Built in 1906.

The Aomori Bank Memorial Hall

A harmonious symmetric building with ingenious devices to protect it from fire. Built in 1904.

Hirosaki Gakuin Foreign Missionary Hall

The Hall was originally built as a lodging house for American women missionaries. This Western-style architectural masterpiece in northern Tohoku is a precious relic where visitors can see the style used in foreign missionary halls, such as the acanthus ornamentation in the drawing room. The Hall was built in 1906.

Former Hirosaki Kaikosha

This large Western-style building based on Italian Renaissance architecture was built for Kaikosha, a social welfare organization for the Imperial Japanese Army's 8th Division. It was built in 1907.