Uwajima

Uwajima is a small historic city, situated deep inside Uwajima Bay, on the west coast of Shikoku and embraced on three sides by mountains more than 1,000 meters high. The city has flourished as a castle town of the Date family since the early 17th century.

In the center of the city, there are Uwajima Castle, Uwatsuhiko-jinja Shrine, and other sites. The Tensha-en Garden built as a retirement palace for the Date family is especially beautiful in the wisteria and iris season and admired by many local people. You can see bullfights, a traditional 300-year-old event in Uwajima. The events are held five times a year even today. Bulls weighing about one ton butt against each other in a 20-meter-diameter ring in a domed bullfight arena. The bulls fight until one loses its fighting spirit.