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Tokushima · Capital · City

Tokushima

徳島市とくしましTokushima-shi

The city of the Awa Odori on the Yoshino delta

Tokushima is the capital of Tokushima Prefecture, a river-delta city at the mouth of the Yoshino River in eastern Shikoku. It is the home of the Awa Odori dance festival each August and a centre of Awa puppet theatre and indigo culture.

Overview

Tokushima is laid out on the islands of the Yoshino River delta, crossed by some 130 rivers and canals, which earned it the name "water capital". Mount Bizan, a 290-metre hill shaped like an eyebrow, rises behind the centre, and a ropeway climbs from the Awa Odori Kaikan to its summit, from which the view reaches across the delta to Awaji Island.

The city was founded as the castle town of the Hachisuka lords in 1585, and the garden of the castle's reception palace, Senshūkaku, survives in the castle park next to the station. Its prosperity came from indigo, and the merchant culture it fostered produced the Awa Odori, which for four nights in August fills the city with hundreds of dance groups and more than a million spectators.

Tokushima is also a stop on the Shikoku pilgrimage: temples 13 to 17 lie within the city limits, including Dainichi-ji, Awa's Kokubun-ji and Ido-ji. The Awa Jūrobē Yashiki keeps the tradition of Awa puppet theatre alive with regular performances.

Landmarks

  • Mount Bizan

    眉山Bizan

    A 290-metre hill behind the centre, reached by ropeway, with views over the city and, on clear days, Awaji Island.

  • Awa Odori Kaikan

    阿波おどり会館Awa Odori Kaikan

    A hall with regular Awa Odori performances, a museum of the dance and the ropeway station.

  • Senshūkaku Garden

    旧徳島城表御殿庭園Kyū-Tokushima-jō Omote-goten teien

    A Momoyama-style garden of massive blue schist stones from the castle's reception palace; a Place of Scenic Beauty.

  • Tokushima Castle ruins

    徳島城跡Tokushima-jō ato

    Stone walls of green schist on the hill in Tokushima Chūō Park, with a museum of the Hachisuka family.

  • Awa Jūrobē Yashiki

    阿波十郎兵衛屋敷Awa Jūrobē Yashiki

    A former residence associated with a famous puppet play, with regular Awa Ningyō Jōruri performances.

  • Shinmachi River

    新町川Shinmachi-gawa

    The central river with a boardwalk and small boats that circle Hyōtan-jima island.

  • Henro temples 13–17

    第十三番〜十七番札所Dai-jūsan-ban – jūnana-ban fudasho

    Dainichi-ji, Jōraku-ji, Kokubun-ji, Kannon-ji and Ido-ji, west of the centre along the pilgrim route.

Districts

  • Station and castle area

    徳島駅周辺Tokushima-eki shūhen

    The station, the castle park and the main shopping streets.

  • Shinmachi and Aiba

    新町・藍場浜Shinmachi, Aibahama

    Riverside streets and parks, the main stage area of the Awa Odori.

  • Bizan foot

    眉山麓Bizan-roku

    Temples and the Awa Odori Kaikan at the base of the hill.

  • Kawauchi

    川内Kawauchi

    The northern district by the Yoshino with the puppet-theatre house.

History

Hachisuka Iemasa built Tokushima Castle on Mount Shiroyama in 1585 and laid out a castle town on the river islands. According to local tradition, the dancing at the castle's completion was the origin of the Awa Odori, although the festival more likely developed from Obon dances. Awa indigo shipped from Tokushima's wharves made its merchants among the wealthiest in western Japan.

Tokushima became a city in 1889. An air raid on 4 July 1945 destroyed most of the centre. The post-war city was rebuilt with boulevards and riverside parks, and the opening of the bridges to Awaji and Kobe brought it within easy reach of Kansai.

  1. 1585

    Hachisuka Iemasa begins building Tokushima Castle.

  2. 1587

    Traditional date of the first Awa Odori, said to celebrate the castle's completion.

  3. 1889

    Tokushima is incorporated as a city.

  4. 1945

    An air raid on 4 July destroys most of the city.

  5. 1998

    The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge completes the road link to Kobe and Osaka.

Culture

Tokushima lives for the Awa Odori: dance groups practise throughout the year, and the city's calendar builds towards the four nights of mid-August. Awa puppet theatre, indigo dyeing and the henro temples give the city a deep traditional layer. The Portuguese writer Wenceslau de Moraes, who lived here from 1913, is commemorated with a small museum on Bizan.

Festivals

  • Awa Odori

    阿波おどりAwa Odori

    From 12 to 15 August, hundreds of ren dance along closed streets and on ticketed stages throughout the centre.

  • Spring Awa Odori

    はな・はる・フェスタHana Haru Festa

    A spring festival with Awa Odori performances and local food.

  • Tokushima Castle cherry blossoms

    徳島中央公園の桜Tokushima Chūō Kōen no sakura

    Cherry blossom viewing around the castle walls in spring.

Food

  • Tokushima ramen

    徳島ラーメンTokushima rāmen

    Rich brown broth, sweet pork and a raw egg, with rice on the side.

  • Sudachi

    すだちSudachi

    Squeezed over everything from sashimi to soba.

  • Fish katsu

    フィッシュカツFisshu katsu

    A spicy fried fish cake sold in supermarkets and bars.

  • Awa-odori chicken

    阿波尾鶏Awaodori

    A free-range local chicken breed, grilled or in hot pot.

Getting around

  • JR Tokushima Station is served by limited express trains from Takamatsu and by lines south along the coast and west up the Yoshino valley.
  • The highway bus terminal at the station has frequent buses to Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto across the Awaji bridges.
  • Tokushima Awaodori Airport is about 30 minutes by bus from the station.
  • The centre is compact and flat; the ropeway to Bizan starts at the Awa Odori Kaikan, about 10 minutes' walk from the station.

Day trips

  • Naruto

    鳴門Naruto

    The whirlpools, the Ōtsuka Museum of Art and Temple 1, Ryōzen-ji, about 30–40 minutes north.

  • Iya Valley

    祖谷渓Iya-kei

    Vine bridges and gorges in the western mountains, reached via Awa-Ikeda or Ōboke.

  • Wakimachi

    脇町Wakimachi

    An indigo merchants' town in Mima with udatsu firewalls on its roofs.

  • Hiwasa and Yakuō-ji

    日和佐・薬王寺Hiwasa, Yakuō-ji

    The last temple of Awa and a turtle-nesting beach on the Pacific coast.

  • Awaji Island

    淡路島Awajishima

    The island across the Ōnaruto Bridge, on the way to Kobe.

Other cities in the prefecture

CityMiyoshiMiyoshi-shiVine bridges and hidden hamlets in the heart of ShikokuCityNarutoNaruto-shiWhirlpools, masterpieces and the first step of the pilgrimage

Frequently asked questions

How can you join the Awa Odori?

Visitors can dance in the niwaka-ren, open groups that anyone may join after a short lesson on the festival evenings.

Is Tokushima worth visiting outside August?

Yes. Performances at the Awa Odori Kaikan, the view from Bizan, the castle garden, puppet theatre and henro temples make it a good base for eastern Shikoku year-round.

How do you get from Tokushima to Osaka?

By highway bus across Awaji Island, about two and a half hours; ferries also cross to Wakayama for connections to Osaka.

Which henro temples are in Tokushima city?

Temples 13 to 17: Dainichi-ji, Jōraku-ji, Kokubun-ji, Kannon-ji and Ido-ji, which can be walked in a day.

Related

Sources

  1. 1.徳島市公式ウェブサイト (opens in a new tab) — 徳島市
  2. 2.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
  3. 3.徳島県ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 徳島県
  4. 4.四国八十八ヶ所霊場会 (opens in a new tab) — 四国八十八ヶ所霊場会

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