Aizu Hanko Nisshinkan

Aizu Hanko Nisshinkan

Aizu Hanko Nisshinkan was the highest-level learning institution of its time. It was established in 1803 by the Aizu Domain to foster Japan's next generation of talented samurais.

Children of samurai families entered this school at the age of ten and worked on academic studies and physical exercises to instill both physical and mental discipline.

The property, covering about 26,500 square meters in area, used to house such facilities as a martial arts training hall, an astronomical observatory, and Suiren-Suiba Ike, Japan's oldest swimming pool.

During the late Edo Period, the school turned out a great deal of excellent talent, including the legendary group of young warriors, the Byakkotai. The facilities, which were burned down during the Boshin War, have been rebuilt faithful to their original design. They now function as a hands-on museum that features exhibits of the magnificent architecture of the Edo Period and dioramas of school life as it used to be.

Visitors can enjoy practicing some of the essential disciplines of the samurai, including tea ceremony, Japanese archery, meditation, and horseback riding, as well as experiencing hand painting an akabeko (red cow), a traditional good-luck charm of Aizu.

Venue Details

Venue Details
Websitehttps://nisshinkan.jp/news/11440.html
Contact

Aizu Hanko Nisshinkan

(+81) 242-75-2525

Best SeasonAll Year
Opening Hours

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Admittance until 4:00 PM)

None

Parking200 cars, 50 coaches
Entrance FeeAdults: 850 yen / Junior high & high school students: 550 yen / Primary school students: 500 yen
Accommodation details

Pets: Allowed if carried in a cage or held in the arms (No walking allowed)

Access Details
Access10 Takatsukayama, Minami-Takano, Kawahigashi-machi, Aizu-Wakamatsu City, Fukushima Pref. 969-3441
View directions
Getting there

By Car: 5 min from Bandai-Kawahigashi I.C. exit off the Ban-etsu Expressway

By Train: 15 min by taxi ride (or 35 min by the city's sightseeing loop bus) from Aizuwakamatsu Station (JR Ban-etsu West Line)

Useful Links

6 Things to Do at the Aizu Hanko Nisshinkan Samurai School

2 Days in Aizu-Wakamatsu

Feel the Samurai Spirit at Nisshinkan & Aizu Bukeyashiki

Related trips

  1. Samurai

    Samurai Spirit Experience

    Discover the spirit of the Japanese samurai on this one-day tour of samurai history in the beautiful Aizu region of Fukushima. Feel the history of the past come to life all around you as you experience the places where samurai once walked. This tour can be enjoyed any time of the year and with the ease of trains and buses in the area, you’ll be well on your way to living the samurai life. Leave from Aizu-Wakamatsu Station and journey to Tsurugajo Castle. The red-tile roof of Tsurugajo Castle is one of a kind. Stroll through the gardens before heading inside the keep to see the artifacts of history. After you’ve finished at the castle, make your way to Aizu Hanko Nisshinkan, the premier school for young samurai of the time. This is where the fledgling samurai received training and education. See what it took for a boy to grow into a samurai. Then move to Aizu Bukeyashiki, the 28-room sprawling estate that once belonged to a samurai family of the region. The preserved estate showcases everyday samurai life as well as some stunning artifacts and gardens. You will be thrilled every step of the way through your trek into the past and your adventure into discovering the soul of the samurai.  

    Samurai Spirit Experience

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