hamamatsujo

Hamamatsujo - Wow, a castle right here in my city

My souvenir ticket stub

Castles are found all over Japan, even in good old Hamamatsu, and this one is realy pretty and has historical significance. Ieyasu Tokugawa, who lived in Hamamatsu in his youth, built this kind of summer-home castle and moved into it in 1570. From that point his power increased, and he came to rule over Japan as a Shogun. Because of this history, the castle is also called Shusse-jo, literally translated as "castle of promotion." The area around the castle is beautiful, too. There is a little shrine, a pond filled with koi, and a bridge with a small waterfall as a backdrop. It's a great place to take a peaceful walk and to stop and just sit for awhile.

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