Ozu Castle Timber Keep & Garyu Sanso Villa ("Little Kyoto of Iyo" on Hiji River)

Category: Masterpiece Wooden Reconstructed Keep & Historic Sukiya Tea Villa | Location: Ehime

Nestled in the scenic basin carved by the winding Hiji River in western Ehime Prefecture, the historic castle town of **Ozu** is affectionately celebrated as the "Little Kyoto of Iyo." The proud centerpiece of the community is **Ozu Castle**, an architectural triumph that redefined castle preservation across Japan. When the original 17th-century keep was dismantled in 1888 due to decay, citizens painstakingly preserved an authentic Edo-period wooden framework model (*Kezumi-mokei*) alongside rare 19th-century glass-plate photographs. Guided by these exact historical blueprints, master carpenters completed a monumental reconstruction in 2004, rebuilding the four-tiered, 19-meter-tall wooden keep **entirely out of domestic Japanese cypress timber without a single ounce of modern structural concrete**, marking Japan’s first post-war 100% historically authentic timber castle restoration. Inside Ozu Castle, the warm, rich fragrance of natural Japanese cypress greets visitors immediately. Guests ascend steep, authentic joinery staircases without metal fastenings, marveling at the intricate web of interlocking load-bearing timber columns while exploring four original Edo-period corner watchtowers (*Yagura*) registered as National Important Cultural Properties. In recent years, Ozu Castle captured global acclaim by pioneering Japan’s very first luxury **Castle Stay** program, granting elite travelers the rare privilege of renting the entire fortress overnight, greeted by mounted samurai processions, sounding conch-shell horns, and dining on feudal lord banquets. Perched upon a jagged cliff overlooking a natural eddy of the Hiji River lies the exquisite Sukiya-style estate **Garyu Sanso** (Lying Dragon Villa). Inscribed as a National Important Cultural Property and awarded a Michelin Green Guide Star, this 9,900-square-meter retreat was crafted over a decade starting in 1897 by wealthy wax and tea trader Torajiro Kochi, collaborating with elite Kyoto imperial artisans. Its crown pavilion, Furo-an, is suspended cantilevered directly over the river abyss on stilts. On nights with a full moon, lunar rays reflect off the swirling river surface onto the pavilion’s arched woven-bamboo ceiling, producing a mesmerizing ambient luminescence known as the dancing moon.