Although countless historic castle towns are spread throughout Japan, for some reason, the inhabitants of the castle town of Hirosaki seem to take pride in the feudal nature of their stubbornness. This is not defiance, but compared to Kyushu, Shikoku, and Yamato, the Tsugaru region can be said to be almost entirely a frontier. What kind of history is there to be proud of throughout the province? During the recent Meiji Restoration, what kind of loyalists emerged from this clan? What was the clan's attitude? To be blunt, wasn't their course of action to merely follow the lead of the other clans? Exactly where is this proud tradition? What is the source of the stubborn swagger of the people of Hirosaki?
A man with power was no good. He had pride in power that came from very good luck. I heard when His Excellency Ichinohe Hyoe, the general who hailed from this region, returned home, he always wore serge hakama trousers when wearing Japanese clothes. If he returned home wearing military dress, the people of his hometown would glare at him in anger, square their elbows, and wonder aloud what he had turned into because, at best, he had a stroke of very good luck. Wisely, when he returned home, he wore serge hakama trousers with his Japanese-style clothes. While not entirely true, this fable is plausible because the inhabitants of the castle town of Hirosaki have a baffling vicious rebelliousness.
What is being hidden? The truth is I have a bone with that kind of bad behavior in my body, too. That's not the only reason, but thanks to that bad bone, I am unable to rise above living day and night in the attic of a tenement house. Several years ago, a magazine company solicited me to write for A Few Words to My Hometown. My answer was I love you, I hate you.
I have slandered Hirosaki. However, this does not arise from a hatred of Hirosaki but is a reflection of me, the author. I am a native of Tsugaru. Generations of my ancestors were farmers in the Tsugaru clan. In other words, I am a pureblood native of Tsugaru. Thus, I badmouth Tsugaru holding little back. If a native of another land heard my ridicule and was prompted to underestimate Tsugaru, of course, that would trouble me. No matter what I say, I love Tsugaru.
Today, Hirosaki has ten thousand households and a population exceeding fifty thousand. Hirosaki Castle and the Five-Storied Pagoda of Saishoin Temple are designated as national treasures. Tayama Katai praised Hirosaki Park as the finest in Japan when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. The headquarters of the Hirosaki Division are located there. The mountain pilgrimage Oyama-sankei takes place every year over three days, July 28 to August 1. Tens of thousands make the pilgrimage to the festival held at the rear shrine on top of the sacred Mount Iwaki in Tsugaru and pass through this very prosperous town while dancing all the way there and back. That's pretty much what is written in travel guides. Nonetheless, I've limited my descriptions of Hirosaki City to complaints.
Therefore, I traced the memories of my youth and wanted to depict a Hirosaki that lived up to its reputation. But each and every memory was silly, and I didn't get far. Unexpected abuse escaped from me, and I didn't know what to do. I'm too particular about this castle town of the former Tsugaru clan. Although this place should be the foundation of the quintessential spirit of a Tsugaru native, the character of this castle town remains vague in my description.
A castle tower surrounded by cherry blossoms is not unique to Hirosaki Castle. Aren't most of the castles in Japan surrounded by cherry blossoms? Isn't Owani Hot Springs able to preserve the scent of Tsugaru because it faces a side of the castle tower surrounded by cherry blossoms? Earlier I intended to write with foolish elation that Owani Hot Springs will not slurp up the drippings of the city and fall into a drunken frenzy as long as it faces Hirosaki Castle. I had an assortment of thoughts, but I sensed they were the sloppy sentimentality of the author's ornate prose. With nothing to rely on, I lost heart. In the end, this castle town is lackadaisical. Despite being the castle of generations of feudal lords, its prefectural authority was stolen by another up-and-coming town.
Throughout Japan, most prefectural capitals are the castle towns of the former clans. However, the prefectural authority of Aomori Prefecture is not Hirosaki City but was moved to Aomori City. I believe even Aomori Prefecture was unhappy. I don't especially hate Aomori City. Witnessing the prosperity of a rising town is invigorating. While Hirosaki City was defeated, I lost patience with its apathy. The desire to support the loser is human nature.
Some way or another, I want to be on the side of Hirosaki City. Although my composition is poor, I struggled to devise different ways to write but was unable to describe the ultimate merits of Hirosaki and the power of Hirosaki Castle's uniqueness. I will say it again. This place is the foundation of the spirit of the people of Tsugaru. There should be something. There should be a brilliant tradition found nowhere else after a search of all Japan. I have an inkling of what it is, but in what form can I express it? I'm frustrated and annoyed by my inability to reveal this to the reader.
I was a literature student at Hirosaki High School and remember visiting Hirosaki Castle by myself at twilight one spring day. As I stood on the corner of the castle plot and gazed at Mount Iwaki, I was overcome with the horror of the realization that a land of dreams was silently expanding at my feet. Until then, I only thought that Hirosaki Castle was isolated
