Ōzu Castle

Local records[1] state that, by 1331, barricades and small fortresses punctuated the Jizōgatake, the strategic mound which overlooks the river Hiji (肱川, Hiji-kawa).

Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu's campaigns to unify Japan brought with them a continuous state of change to the rulers of Ōzu (大洲藩, Ōzu-han).

Old photographs, maps and the discovery of an old model depicting the castle's original structure allowed for a historically faithful reconstruction while traditional assembling techniques and natural materials were employed.

The focus on historical accuracy supposedly eased the construction efforts while the project also gave new life to otherwise dying forms of specialized craftmanship such as carpenters and blacksmiths.

[citation needed] At a height of 19.15 m (62 ft 10 in), it stands as the highest timber structure to have been erected since the enactment of the first post-war building standards law (建築基準法, kenchiku kijun hō) in 1950.