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TSURUOKA |
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A former castle-town with a handful of attractive, willow-lined
streets in its old centre, TSURUOKA is mainly useful as a staging post
on the pilgrimage to Dewa-san. Its few sights are located in and around
Tsuruoka-koen , the site of the castle, and include an eclectic local
museum and an unusual Edo-period school for samurai .
The old centre of Tsuruoka lies on the banks of the Uchi-gawa, some 2km
southwest of the recently developed station surrounded by hotels,
department stores and bus terminals. It takes about twenty minutes to
walk from the station, along the river part of the way, to reach
Tsuruoka-koen. En route, look out for the virginal-white, wooden
Catholic church , which was built by French missionaries in 1903; it
houses a black Madonna and child as well as several faded stained-glass
windows.
Tsuruoka's prime sight, the Chido Hakubutsukan (Tues-Sun 9am-5pm; ¥620),
lies on the southwest corner of the park in what was once a retirement
home for lords of the ruling Sakai clan; buses from the station drop you
right outside at the Chido Hakubutsukan-mae stop. The compound now
contains a number of striking buildings, kicking off with the
Nishitagawa District Office, built in 1881 in Western style. The
Goinden, the lords' residence, was constructed only two decades earlier
but to a classic Japanese design, and now houses a few Sakai family
heirlooms as well as a beautiful collection of bamboo fishing rods made
by trainee samurai . Local folk culture is well represented in a massive
thatched farmhouse and in a new building packed with old fishing tackle,
sake barrels, lacquerware and huge wooden mortars. Look out, as well,
for the intricate bandori backpacks used to cushion heavy loads; when
worn, these woven, straw pads with their protruding shoulder straps are
said to resemble flying squirrels ( bandori ).
Walking back along the south side of Tsuruoka-koen, you'll pass another
beautifully preserved Western-style building, the Taishokan , built in
1915 as an assembly hall. It now houses a missable museum of local
luminaries, but the Chido-kan (Tues-Sun 9am-5pm; free), a little further
along on the righthand side, is worth a quick stop. This Confucian
school was founded in 1805 by the ninth Sakai lord, who wanted to
restore order among his restless clan and educate young samurai . They
progressed to the next grade on merit alone; some students were 30 years
old. Inside there are still a few of the original buildings, including a
shrine to Confucius and the main auditorium, where you can see the old
textbooks and printing blocks as well as some marvellous photos of the
school still in use earlier this century.
In the next block east, the Tsuruoka-shi Bussan-kan (daily 9am-6pm)
showcases a range of local produce, from aubergine pickles and Gas-san
wine to painted candles and other crafts. You can see more of these
somewhat expensive, tapering candles at a 300-year-old shop, Togashi
ero-Sokuten (closed first & third Sun each month), on the way back to
the station. Alternatively, try painting one (¥1500) on the second floor
of the Shonai Centre opposite the station, where you'll also find a
crafts centre and souvenir shops.
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