Ozu Castle

Ozu Castle is said to have its origins in Jizogatake Castle, which was built by Toyofusa Utsunomiya, the governor of Iyo Province, in 1331 at the end of the Kamakura period, and since then it has been the castle for 237 years. After the Battle of Sekigahara, the turbulent times subsided, and a castle town began to form during the era of Todo Takatora and Wakisaka Yasuharu, who were known as master castle builders. Later, Sadayasu Kato became the lord of the castle, and the Kato clan's reign continued until the restoration of land ownership. In the Meiji era, the castle tower was dismantled in 1888 due to its deterioration. The current castle tower was restored in 2004 over a period of about 10 years, starting with conservation efforts and donations from residents. It is the first of its kind in Japan to have four floors and four floors as a wooden castle tower restored after the war, and at 19.15m, it is the tallest in Japan.