Mihara: Castle, Yassa Dance and Daruma Culture

The main castle grounds of Mihara Castle are located at JR Mihara Station; the main platform is accessible through the station concourse. The ruins were redesigned in 2017 and are now used as a recreation park. This means that a historic castle site and its present-day use exist side by side in this location. If you include the castle in your travel plans, check the latest visitor information in advance.

Mihara Castle and its history

The castle is said to have been built in 1567. Oshima and Kojima were connected for its construction. A ship entrance opening onto the sea also gave the site the function of a military port. Today, parts of the main platform and the Funairi Yagura turret remain. The construction history thus encompasses both the linking of the islands and the castle’s maritime role.

In the associated municipality, the Mihara City History and Folklore Museum complements this historical perspective: it presents the construction process of Mihara Castle and Mihara as a castle town. It therefore covers not only the castle itself, but also its significance in the town’s development as a castle town.

Yassa Dance and Festival

The Yassa dance is said to have originated as a celebration of the construction of Mihara Castle. At the Mihara Yassa Festival, around 7,000 dancers take to a dance route near Mihara Station from about 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, chanting “Yassa, Yassa.” A fireworks display takes place on the final day of the festival, Sunday. It begins at around 8 p.m. and lasts about an hour. The route, schedule and festival program may vary from year to year. So if you are planning your visit around the festival, check the specific dates and schedule in advance.

Daruma and other local sights

The Aoyama Collection Daruma Memorial Hall in the associated municipality offers a different cultural perspective. It displays around 7,000 Daruma figures: approximately 1,000 from the collection of the chief priest of Gokurakuji Temple and 6,000 from the collection of Daruma collector Akimi Aoyama. The collection includes pieces from all over Japan. These collections provide two distinct points of reference for the subject of Daruma: a temple priest and a specialist collector.

The viewpoints in the associated municipality also bring together landscapes and local history. From Kamayama Temple, you can see the Nukari Road in the distance; the temple is one of the Eight Views of Mihara. From Mihara Hachimangu, you can look out over old houses along the former Sanyō Road in Nishimachi and traces of the former castle town.

A stone staircase lined with torii gates leads to Oshima Shrine. During the rule of the Fukushima family, Oshima Inari Shrine and Itsukushima Shrine were merged and moved to this location. The shrine thus combines a specifically described approach with a history dating back to the time of the Fukushima family.

Discover more destinations: Hatsukaichi, Fuchū, Higashihiroshima, Kure, Sera, Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Miyoshi

For the broader travel overview: Hiroshima Prefecture.