Originally built in 1593, the current building is a concrete replica. During the end of the Edo Period, the Aizu soldiers were defeated after one month of fighting to defeat the castle. The new government (Meiji Period) destroyed the castle in 1874. In accordance with its original design, the castle was built again in 1965 – it is considered to symbolize the samurai culture of Aizuwakamatsu. The castle contains five stories, which serve as a local history museum. Each floor focuses on a theme – Buddhist memorabilia, antique lacquerware and pottery, the Boshin Civil War and the Byakkotai. The fifth floor serves as an observation platform from where you can enjoy a splendid view of the entire Aizu valley. Near the entrance to the castle grounds is a souvenir shop selling a variety of goods from the Aizu region, and in the spring, the castle grounds are filled with cherry blossoms. The castle lookout is a good place to envisage exile: w:Shiba Goro writer of Remembering Aizu left this place of his dreams with the other exiles of the Aizu culture who were made scapegoats for the resistance to the Meiji restoration. Amazon Books had, at the time of writing, extensive extracts for free from Remembering Aizu if you want a sample.