Park Construction Accompanying Imperial Visits to Site of Hirosaki Castle in Modern Times

Abstract

In 1894 the city of Hirosaki opened a park on the site of Hirosaki Castle. This paper examines how park construction was advanced by the visits in 1908 of the Crown Prince and in 1915 of the Emperor. Before the Crown Prince's visit the castle gates and bridges were repaired and repainted. The ground was leveled and lawns and rest areas installed. Overall park refurbishment occurred before the Emperor's visit. The collapsed stone walls, left untouched previously, were rebuilt and the castle tower returned to its original location at great expense. The moat was dredged, the castle gate and enclosing buildings repaired, roads and drainage ditches built, and wooden fences and hedges put in place. Some said the improvements lacked the elegance of the original castle ruins.