Maizuru, Layers of History

Modern Day International Port, 1900’s Naval Base, 1600’s Castle Town

Maizuru is an expansive city, with land that spreads out and around Maizuru Bay like a crane fanning its wings. In fact, part of the Japanese kanji characters for Maizuru, means crane. Cranes are a symbol of long-life, which is an apt reflection on Maizuru’s long and central history in the shaping of what is now, current day Japan.

• Tanabe Castle Ruins

A portion of the stone ramparts and foundation stones from the castle keep are the only structural features of Tanabe Castle that remain today. The main gate and a part of the stone wall, however, has been reconstructed, and the grounds are now open to the public as Maizuru Park. A museum dedicated to the castle’s history and inhabitants is located in the building above the gate.

Tanabe Castle was built in 1582 for Hosokawa Fujitaka, also known as Hosokawa Yusai (1534–1610), after he turned over official control of Tango Province to his son, Hosokawa Tadaoki (1563–1646). It was a time when trade was emphasized, and the castle was built on unusually low-lying ground rather than a more defensible hilltop. This was also the case for Fujitaka’s previous residence of Miyazu Castle to the northwest. Nevertheless, Fujitaka found himself under siege in the months before the decisive Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Fujitaka’s son, Hosokawa Tadaoki (1563–1646), had taken most of their forces to Sekigahara in preparation for battle. With only 500 men facing an army of 15,000, Fujitaka set fire to Miyazu Castle and garrisoned himself at Tanabe Castle. The battle lasted for 52 days, until, in an unusual turn of events, the emperor intervened on Fujitaka’s behalf because of his precious knowledge of poetry.

Although Tanabe Castle survived the upheaval of the early seventeenth century, it was mostly leveled in 1874 after the Meiji government ordered the destruction of castles nationwide. Bullets and other artifacts that have been recovered from the castle site are on display in the museum.

Tanabe Castle Visitor Information

TEL: 0773-76-7211
address: 15-22 Minamitanabe, Maizuru City, Kyoto Prefecture
what3words address (entrance): ///purist.promote.reviews
business hours: 9: 00-17: 00
closed: Every Monday (two days after Monday if it falls on a national holiday), closed for the long holiday: 12/29 ~ 1/3
admission: adults 200 yen / children (ES through university) 100 yen. For groups of 20 or more, adults 100 yen, children 70 yen

• Maizuru Naval Base and the birth of regional cuisine

  Maizuru is one of Japan’s most important naval bases, traditional red brick buildings that have been preserved, as well as a repatriation museum that has exhibits and displays related to Japanese repatriation after World War II (as Maizuru was a port of entry for Japanese soldiers returning to Japan). Through western influence and the naval legacy of the area, Maizuru has also developed a unique food heritage, with different dishes that both pay homage to local culture, but include the influence of naval life and Europeans that stayed in the area.

Maizuru Brick Park

Maizuru Brick Park is a collection of repurposed navy arsenal buildings located at the port in the city of Maizuru. Of the original 12 brick warehouses, 8 have been designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan, and 5 are now open to the general public.

The red brick warehouses were built between 1901 and 1921 after the Japanese Imperial Navy established one of the nation’s four major naval bases in Maizuru. They are a symbol of the rapid modernization that took place during this time period. The buildings were used for military purposes until the end of World War II, and many later became warehouses for private corporations.

Remnants of history are visible in the buildings’ architecture and exterior features. Black paint can be seen at the base of some buildings, as the buildings had been painted black to camouflage them in case of air raids. Building 5 houses a massive crane that was used to carry the torpedoes that were stored there from one end of the warehouse to the other. The building has served as the filming location for a number of historical TV dramas and movies.

Each building is slightly different. Among them you will find museum exhibits, cafes, restaurants, art studios, and a gift shop. The largest of the buildings, Building 5, was constructed from approximately 500,000 bricks, and is now an event hall for bazaars, expositions, and weddings. The World Brick Museum, housed in Building 1, displays bricks from all over the world and has exhibits on brick production and bricklaying techniques.

Information about the Maizuru Brick Museum

Maizuru Repatriation Memorial Museum

The Maizuru Repatriation Museum is a facility dedicated to peace, and commemorates the experiences of those interned in labor camps following the Japanese defeat in World War II.

Kyoto Maizuru Port was one of 18 locations appointed to receive the 6.6 million Japanese military personnel and civilians stranded in overseas territories when the war ended. Between 1945 and 1958, residents of Maizuru warmly welcomed 664,531 repatriates, the majority of whom had been detainees interned in forced-labor camps in Siberia and other areas of the former USSR. Because Maizuru was the only repatriation point operating after 1950, it embodied the final hope for those longing to see their loved ones again.

The museum opened in 1988 to provide a venue for former detainees to share their stories. The museum collection includes 16,000 items, of which 1,000 are on permanent display, many with descriptions in multiple languages. The museum also includes a Detention Experience Room, a realistic recreation of the harsh living circumstances experienced in the Siberian labor camps.

Five hundred and seventy items from the museum are inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. These items are separated into three categories based on their association: experiences in Siberian internment camps, families hoping for the safe return of their loved ones, and repatriation materials. One particularly rare exhibit is the White Birch Diary, a collection of 200 poems written by a prisoner in Siberia. Journaling on tree bark was not unheard of in the camps; however, this is the only such diary known to still exist.

Visitor Information

Historic Naval Harbor and Maizuru Bay Sightseeing Boat

Maizuru Bay Sightseeing Boat

This sightseeing cruise takes passengers on a leisurely 30-minute trip around Maizuru Bay. In addition to enjoying the scenery from the water, passengers will have a chance to get an up-close look at Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force boats, including escort ships, supply ships, transport ships, missile boats, and minesweepers, which are often docked here.

Kyoto Maizuru Port has been an important facility for the country since it was opened as the only naval base on the Sea of Japan in 1901. The narrow mouth of the bay gave the port a natural advantage by making it easy to defend. The arsenal established here in 1903 specialized in the construction of small ships like destroyers and torpedo boats. It now operates as the Japan Marine United Corporation’s Maizuru shipyard, and is visible from the water.

Cruises depart from Kitasui Pier beside Maizuru Brick Park, and boarding begins 15 minutes before departure. Tickets can be reserved in advance or purchased the same day at Brick Park Building 2. During the tour, information is provided in Japanese. However, operators cannot give prior notice on the mooring status, departure, or arrival times of Self-Defense Force boats, as this information is not made public.

Information about Sightseeing Cruise

• Local products and historical cuisine

Being a port town with a large bay, Maizuru is known for having some of the best seafood in Japan. Gourmands are especially interested in the Matsuba snow crabs and large oysters. In Maizuru, there are lots of food-related experiences, like participating in a Kamaboko-making workshop (fish cakes), or visiting Tore Tore Center, a large indoor fish market with restaurants, shops, and lots of fishmongers who will cook their fresh fish on the spot for you.

Maizuru Tore Tore Center Map

what3words address (main entrance): ///onions.supplier.trifle

But because Maizuru was a historic naval area in Japan, the region developed unique food culture. Restaurants in this area have paid homage to the naval heritage to recreate recipes from a historic navy recipe book ( Navy Cooking Reference Book). This is called "honman," the result of researching the history and background of food culture. To give an example, in the navy, beef tendons and chicken scraps from soup were boiled together with meat and used as a base for curry to reduce waste. And vegetables seen in stews were originally cut into large pieces due to short working hours aboard naval vessels. Since Japan at that time was heavily influenced by England, curry was served with a fork instead of a spoon. And curry as well was an important aspect of Japanese naval life. Sailors often lost track of what day of the week it was while at sea. But because curry was faithfully served every Friday, the sailors could reorient themselves with this dish each week if they happened to lose track.

Check out one of the many restaurants reproducing honman cuisine.

One of the highlights of Shoeikan is the architectural beauty of the annexed building of the former Navy inn, which was founded in 1897. If you make a reservation, you can have a meal in practically the same space that naval admiral, Heihachirou Togo used.