Mimasaka province was set up as one of the six provinces of Bizen Clan
in 713 A.D. In1603, Mori Tadamasa became the Lord of Mimasaka and
set to work developing the areaaroundTsuyama. Tadamasa laid out the
plans for Tsuyama as his castle town. It took him twelve years to complete
the castle. It is believed the name Tsuyama came from its sound.sound.
The castle town structure formed at that time is the center of present
day Tsuyama City.
Some of them went to Netherland and the great Britain to study Western
science and laws.They added greatly to the development of learning in Japan.
Their enterprising spirit and enthusiasm in learning has been continued
by
Tsuyama citizens.We have one university, one college, one specialized college
and six senior high schools.
After several reorganizations and changes in regional administration, Tsuyama
City became a municipality in 1929. A few annexations followed in 1940's
and
1950's, and the basic features of Tsuyama City which one finds now was
established.
After the abolition of Tokugawa shogunate in the late 19th Century, imperial
rule was restored and the new Meiji government ordered the destruction of
the castle. From that time on, the symbol of this castle town has been
the
massive stone walls which remain at the castle site. Now it has been designated
as a national important cultural asset. And many people in Tsuyama had
long been
dreaming of reconstructing the castle, which recently came true.
The 5000 cherry trees in Kakuzan park are famous as the best place for
viewing
cherry blossoms in western Japan. The cherry blossoms bloom from early to
mid-April and are very beautiful. About 100,000 tourists visit Tsuyama
to experience
its cherry blossoms during this annual festival.
Surrounded by mountains and blessed with great natural beauty, Tsuyama
lies on the bank of the Yoshii River. It is home to a great many cultural
artifacts and intangible cultural artifacts.
The Mori clan ruled for 4 generations, and in that time Mimasaka prospered.
In the 19th century, the area produced many scholars of Western studies,
such as UDAGAWA and MITSUKURI.
In commemorate 400th anniversary since
the construction of Tsuyama Castle, in 2004,
Tsuyama City restored one of the buildings,
"Bicchu Yagura (Bicchu Turret), which was
destroyed about 130 years ago. The city were
holding various events for 400 days starting
from April, 2004. until May, 2005.
CITY PROFILE