宇和島城

Uwajima Castle is a three-story castle with a height of 15.72 meters, standing on a hill about 80 meters above sea level. It is about a 25-minute walk from JR “”Uwajima Station.”” Uwajima Castle is one of the “”12 original surviving castle keeps,”” meaning its main keep dates from before the Edo period and still exists today. The castle was originally built in 1601 when the famed castle-builder Todo Takatora was lord. It was later remodeled around 1666 by Munetoshi, the second-generation head of the Uwajima Date clan, into the ornate keep that sits atop stone walls today. Because of its graceful appearance, the castle is also known as “”Tsurushima Castle.”” Unusually, its layout forms a pentagon when viewed from above. The Date clan originated in Sendai in northeastern Japan; the first Uwajima lord Hidemune was a son of Date Masamune (the “”One-Eyed Dragon””) through a concubine, and it is said that early on, dialect differences between Tohoku and Shikoku made communication difficult. Nearby attractions include the “”Date Museum,”” which covers the Uwajima Date clan, and “”Tenshaen Garden,”” named after a Chinese poem composed by Date Masamune.